


Avenged

by my_mad_fatuation



Series: Affenland [2]
Category: My Mad Fat Diary
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-03 13:38:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13342374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_mad_fatuation/pseuds/my_mad_fatuation
Summary: Finn, Rae, and Archibald are summoned by the King of Affenland in order to investigate the mysterious appearance of the dragon that they recently defeated.





	1. Chapter 1

Finn took a swing at the larger-than-average garar in front of him before jumping backwards to avoid its fangs. Although he knew Rae could cure him if he were to get bitten again, those bites still stung like hell and he would rather just avoid it in the first place.

At least there was only one of them this time, so he didn’t have to worry about any coming up behind him while he was distracted. It was rare for garars to live alone, but he suspected the reason this one was so much larger than usual was because it never had to compete for food.

Finn ducked and rolled to the side to dodge a silk attack from the garar, sneaking up behind it instead to stab it through the abdomen. He heard it wail with pain, but was not certain that one blow would be enough to kill it, so he pulled out his sword and stabbed it again. The garar managed to turn towards him in between blows, and he caught it in the cephalothorax right before its fangs could reach him.

Its last screams echoed through the cave as Finn wrenched his sword free from the beast before it collapsed on the ground. He didn’t envy whoever it was that would have to clean up this mess, but he figured it wasn’t his problem. He was paid to slay the monsters, not tidy up their corpses.

He sheathed his sword and brushed some of the dirt and grime off his sleeves before exiting the cave. He was surprised that it was already starting to get light out—he must have been in there longer than he’d thought. It had been quite an ordeal to get into the cave, what with all the webbing blocking his path, and it took him a while to actually find the garar, as it was so dark in there. Taking it down was no easy feat, either, due to its enormity.

If it were anyone else who had hired him, he would ask for double the coin as payment, since he had been told it was just a _small_ garar problem, but as it was the King himself who had sent him on this quest, he figured there was not much he could say about it. The King still paid better than anyone else in Affenland would, so he couldn’t really complain.

***

It didn’t take long for Finn to return to the palace, as the garar’s cave was just outside of town. He’d borrowed one of the palace’s horses, as well, since he left at night and he knew his horse was afraid of the dark. It almost made him wish he could trade her in, but the thought of doing so gave him a sick feeling in his gut. He loved that stupid horse.

He got back to his chambers by mid-morning, and immediately began to undress so he could go to bed. He’d been up for nearly two days straight and he desperately needed some rest, especially after that gruelling battle.

He’d just taken off his leather armour when there was a knock at his door.

“And what do you want?” he said with an air of impatience when he opened it.

“I heard you just got back from dealing with a small garar problem,” said Rae, inviting herself inside.

“Small in number, maybe, but you should have seen this thing,” said Finn as he shut the door behind her. “The size of a bear, I promise you.”

“Is that why it took you so long?” she asked.

“You speak as though you could have done it any quicker,” he said. “Besides, it was hard to find the bugger.”

“It was hard to find a spider the size of a bear?”

“It was a big cave!”

“If you say so.”

“Now, if you don’t mind, I am exhausted and I would like to sleep,” he added.

“Are you absolutely sure about that?” Rae said as she began to untie the front of her gown.

“Don’t you try and tempt me, you sorceress,” said Finn, clasping his hands over hers to stop her.

“You’ve been working almost every night for the past week,” she said. “I hardly get to see you anymore. Pretty soon I’ll get bored and find someone else to prey on, and you wouldn’t want that, now, would you?”

He squeezed her hands with his. “Tonight I am all yours, all right? But right now I need some rest.”

“Fine,” she replied, pulling her hands away. “We’ll see if I’m still interested; I may have moved on by then.”

“You always say that and yet you never do,” he said with a smile.

“Just don’t sleep too long,” she added. “The King wants to see us later today to discuss an important matter of some kind.”

***

Finn woke with a start when there was a knock on his chamber door. It seemed as though the knocking would not stop, so he got out of bed, wrapped his bed sheet around himself, and answered the door. One of the King’s servants stood in front of him.

“The King requests your presence at this time,” he said, with his hands tucked behind his back.

Finn frowned at him. “What time is it?” He figured he could have only been asleep for a few minutes.

“It’s nearly evening, sir.”

“In that case, I’ll be there in an hour,” he replied as he began to shut the door.

The servant reached out to stop the door from closing. “The King requests your presence _immediately_ ,” he added, somewhat forcefully.

“I need to get dressed, first,” said Finn, tugging on the sheet he was wearing to make his point. “I assume the King does not wish for me to show up naked.”

The servant’s face twitched, as though he was stuck in a position where he didn’t know what to do. He had been tasked with retrieving Finn immediately, yet they both knew the King would not want to see Finn in this manner of dress. Eventually, he broke down and allowed Finn to get dressed, but he insisted that the chamber door remain open so that Finn would not try to go back to sleep. Which was probably a good idea, because he really wanted to go back to sleep.

He managed to throw on enough clothing so that he would not be considered naked—it wasn’t particularly nice enough clothing for one to wear to address the King, but fancy attire was not really the domain of the abolisher. They needed clothes that allowed movement, and that would not be too much worse off with a little monster blood staining them. Finn did, at minimum, put in the effort to find and wear his least blood-stained tunic before following the servant through the palace to the King’s assembly chamber.

Or rather, one of the King’s assembly chambers. Finn knew there were others; rooms for the King’s more prestigious guests and trusted advisors. Finn was not one of these people.

Neither, it seemed, were Rae and Archibald, as they were also present when Finn arrived.

“Took you long enough,” Rae said to him as he had a seat next to her.

“Calm down, he’s not even here yet—” Finn stopped speaking as the larger doors to the room opened and the King walked in with a handful of servants, whom he dismissed with a wave of his regal hand once he was seated.

“I have gathered the three of you here,” the King began in his booming voice, “to discuss a matter of great importance. However, what I tell you must not be repeated to anyone outside these walls, is that clear?”

His subordinates nodded in agreement and he continued.

“The three of you no doubt recall slaying a dragon less than a moon ago,” he said. “At the time, I merely asked that you eliminate the threat to our city walls by destroying the beast, but now that some time has passed, I have questions.”

“What sort of questions, Your Grace?” said Archibald.

“Dragons have been extinct for hundreds of years, have they not?” said the King. “So why did one return _now_? And why did one return _here_?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Archibald replied. “None of my research has shed much light on the matter, however. All that I could find was an ancient prophecy claiming that dragons would once again rise in this land when the King falls ill, and clearly that is not the case, seeing as Your Grace is standing before us in the prime of health.”

“What about sorcery?” Rae asked. “I’ve heard that there exists a spell to wake dragons from their eternal slumber, but it is far beyond my capabilities. I always assumed it was a myth, but perhaps there is some validity to it?”

“What does it matter _why_ it appeared?” said Finn. “All that matters is that it did appear, and I slew it. And I can do it again if another shows up. A dragon is no match for a true abolisher.”

“You speak as though you defeated it single-handedly,” she said.

“Fine, _with the assistance of my colleagues_ , I slew the dragon,” he replied in a condescending tone.

“I don’t particularly have any interest in which one of you defeated the dragon,” the King interjected. “All I want to know is _why_ and _how_ it came here.”

“We will look into it and return when we have more information,” said Archibald, bowing his head slightly.

“Just remember,” said the King, “you must be discreet about it.”

***

Once dismissed by the King, Finn followed Rae and Archibald to the university library where they entered the scholar’s study chamber in order to further discuss the matter of the dragon.

“Here’s the book where I found out about the dragon prophecy,” Archibald explained, sitting behind his desk and opening a large tome in front of him. “It refers to an ancient text that predicted the rise and fall of the dragons, as well as their rebirth. Now, it doesn’t specify when they are due to return, only that it will be when the King falls suddenly ill, as I mentioned before.”

“All right, but that doesn’t make sense, since the King is not ill and has not been ill,” said Rae.

“That’s why I’m at a loss,” he said. “Perhaps there is something to be said for your idea of the use of magic, if such a powerful sorcerer exists.”

“I’ve never met anyone with the power to raise dragons from the dead,” she replied. “But I haven’t met every magic-wielding person in existence.”

“You mean you don’t all gather on a regular basis to swap recipes for frog eye soup?” Finn teased.

She folded her arms and looked at him. “The way you choose to speak to me now suggests that you do not wish to see me in your chambers later this evening,” she said.

“T’were only a jest, m’lady,” he added with a false air of propriety as he gave her an exaggerated bow.

She turned her attention back to Archibald. “I will ask around and see what more I can find on the matter.”

“And I will continue reading,” said Archibald, tapping on the pile of books beside him. “There may be more information hidden away somewhere.”

“Why not investigate?” Finn suggested.

“Pardon me?”

“I mean, why don’t I go back to the cave where we found the dragon and investigate to see if there exists any physical clues,” he said.

“That… is not a terrible idea,” said Rae. “Only, you shouldn’t go back there alone. I’ll go with you.”

“I think I can handle the trip up there on my own.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can, but two sets of eyes on the scene will be better than one.”

“Fine, you can come with me,” he said. “But we are _not_ transporting there.”

***

Finn held fast in his refusal to get transported to the ex-dragon’s lair, but Rae stood equally firm in her refusal to travel by horseback, so they agreed to meet there in two days time, each taking their own preferred method of transit. He found a farmer about a day’s ride north of the city who was willing to give him a bed to sleep in, providing he offered up his own services.

“Wolves have been terrorizing my livestock,” the farmer said. “They come out at night to prey on my goats and chickens and scare the cows.”

“Don’t worry,” said Finn confidently. “Wolves are no problem for me, so long as I have some place warm to sleep tonight.”

“We’ve got an extra bed inside. ’Twas my son’s before he moved to the city, the ungrateful swine.”

“You can count on me, then.”

Of course, what Finn had not considered was that he would have to spend half the night waiting outside for the wolves to show up in order to fulfill his duty, thus cutting into the scheduled rest time for his journey.

Once it seemed that all the wolves were slain, though, he made his way into the farmer’s home—which had been left unlocked for him—as quietly as he could, so as not to disturb anyone inside. He was surprised to see the farmer’s wife sitting next to the fireplace in the main room of the house.

“Ah, sorry,” he said when he noticed her there. “Did the noise outside disrupt your sleep?”

“No, no, we’re used to the noise around here,” she replied. “Though it sounds like you took care of our wolf problem quite handily.”

“They won’t be bothering your goats anymore,” he said. “Although you’ll probably want to get someone to clean up the wolf carcasses in the morning, before they start to rot.”

“My husband will take care of it. Have a seat.” She motioned to the stool next to her.

Finn politely sat down, despite the fact that he just wanted to get some sleep before the long trek ahead of him the next day.

“I must say, I’ve never met an abolisher before,” she continued. “Is it true what they say about you folk?”

“Is what true?”

“That you’ll wait until a man has paid you for your service, and then steal either his horse or his wife.”

“I’ve never heard that one before,” he said with a soft chuckle. “But I can assure you, it’s not true.”

“Oh,” she said. “That’s too bad.”

He frowned and turned his head to look at her. “That’s too bad?”

“I’ve been dying for someone to steal me away from here for years,” she added as she slipped her hand onto his knee.

“I should really get some rest,” he said, and bolted up out of his seat.

She stood as well and placed a hand on his chest. “Take me.”

“What do you mean—”

“In the morning, take me with you. I can’t stay here any longer!”

“I—I can’t do that,” he replied. “I’ve got a job to do. For the King. And it’s confidential. So there’s no way I could take you with me.”

“Then take me for tonight,” she said, grazing the front of his leather cuirass with her fingertips.

“I don’t know what—” he began, though she pressed her finger to his lips to shut him up.

“Not here,” she whispered as she took a step closer to him, so that their chests were almost touching. She grabbed his hand and led him out the front door—through which he had just entered—and around to the back of the stables where his horse and several others were secured.

“I think I get what you’re after, and I’m not so sure that it’s such a good idea for us to do—” He stopped abruptly when she untied the front of her sleeping gown and let it fall to the ground at her feet. “—This.”

“I’ve heard that abolishers are excellent lovers,” she said, leaning against a post with her hands behind her back, thus leaving herself entirely on display for him.

“What about your husband?” he asked.

“He’s a terrible lover.”

“I mean, what if he finds out?”

“He would kill you, most likely.”

“All right, well, that’s not really a risk I’m willing to take, so…”

“He doesn’t ever have to know, does he?” she said as she took a few steps towards him.

“No, but—”

She hushed him again with her finger before trailing her hand down his front. “Your words are saying one thing, though your body is saying another.”

“Look, I think you are a very attractive woman, obviously, and in any other circumstance I would be happy to prove to you just how excellent of a lover an abolisher can be,” he said. “But your husband is asleep thirty yards away, and I don’t particularly want to get killed by a farmer.”

“I’m sure you could take him. You’ve got a sword, after all.”

He laughed, in the hopes that she was only joking, but she didn’t crack a smile. “All right, how about I continue on my way to do that special job for the King, and I’ll come get you on my way back to the city? Hmm?”

“You mean it?”

“Absolutely.” _Absolutely not_.

***

Since he had to leave the farm in the middle of the night before he could get any rest, Finn stopped at the side of the path to lie down for a couple of hours on his rolled up sleeping sack. He only slept until sunrise, though, otherwise he would have been late getting to the cavern to meet with Rae.

“You’re late,” she said to him when he arrived.

“Yeah, sorry,” he said. “It’s a long story, but suffice it to say that I will need to take the other path back to the city when we’re done here.”

“Who did you piss off this time?” she asked with a sigh.

“A farmer and his wife, I think. It doesn’t matter. Let’s begin the investigation!”

Rae stopped him before he could head inside the cavern. “We should look around out here first,” she said. “Also, drink this.” She handed him a small vial.

“What is it?”

“It’s a potion that will heighten your senses, so it will be easier for you to detect small details that could be clues. I got Isabelle to make it for me before I came here.”

“Down the hatch, I suppose,” he said before tipping the brownish liquid into his mouth and tossing the bottle aside. He made a face of disgust as he swallowed. “That is vile. Would it have killed her to throw in a little honey or something?”

“No, but it might have killed you,” she said. “You don’t know how it would react to the other ingredients.”

“Fair enough. Now, what are we looking for?”

“Well, assuming this cavern was where the dragon lived hundreds of years ago, we can probably assume that this is where it was revived,” said Rae. “A dragon’s soul is tied to its home, you see.”

“Ah. Didn’t know that,” said Finn.

“While you were out pissing off farmers and their wives, I was busy doing research with Archibald.”

“So, if this is where the dragon’s soul was tied, then if someone did revive it with sorcery, it was probably done right here?”

“Exactly.”

“What sort of evidence might one leave behind at such a scene, then?” he asked.

“I’m not entirely sure,” she said. “A dragon revival spell would require lots of fortification potions, I’d imagine, so perhaps something was dropped or—”

“I found a potion vial on the ground!” he exclaimed as he picked it up.

“That’s the one that you just tossed aside,” she said impatiently.

“Oh. Right.”

“But look over here,” she added, crouching to the ground and pointing at a bare patch of earth surrounded by grass. “This area looks different from the parts that have been scorched by dragon breath,” she said. “It could be the result of a spilled potion or a misfired spell.”

“Is there any way to tell what kind of potion caused this?”

“Not after this long, I don’t think so. But it’s a sign that we may be on the right track.”

Finn walked towards the cavern entrance when he spotted something else; something he probably wouldn’t have noticed were it not for the potion he’d ingested. “Look at these scrapes along the side of the entrance here,” he said, running his hands over a couple of dark marks on the rock face. “It looks like something was moved along here, like that boulder over there.”

“That boulder could have been blocking the entrance.”

“Meaning this mountain may not only have been our dragon’s home; it may have been its tomb as well.”

“No human could have moved this boulder on his own,” she added. “It was either done with powerful magic, or with the help of a domesticated troll.”

“I didn’t even realize trolls could be domesticated,” he said.

“It requires a lot of patience, but it’s possible. Chloe had one for a while.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“What we need to figure out, then,” she said, “is who would want to revive a dragon.”

***

Finn and Rae’s investigation of the dragon’s lair didn’t uncover much solid evidence that would lead them to exactly who or what revived the dragon and why, but there were definite suggestions of someone or something having tampered with the dragon’s eternal resting place.

“It was worth a shot anyway,” said Archibald as he held up his tankard.

Finn bumped his own tankard against Archibald’s before taking a swig from it. “At least we can rule out that whole ancient prophecy thing, most likely,” he said.

“Terrific,” Archibald replied sarcastically. “I love doing research for the sake of doing research.”

“You do, though.”

He appeared to consider this for a moment and then shrugged.

Finn smirked and took another swig of his drink, glancing around the tavern with mild curiosity. He rarely got a chance to come here these days, with all the work he’d been doing for the King, but he finally had a night off.

“Will you also be attending Prince Liam’s wedding tomorrow?” he overheard someone say in conversation, which caught his attention.

He turned to look at the person speaking—a young woman at a neighbouring table, speaking to her friend—and leaned over to ask, “Excuse me, but did you just say you’d be attending Prince Liam’s wedding tomorrow?”

The woman looked as though she thought it was rude for him to be eavesdropping, but answered anyway. “If you’re looking for an invitation, you’ll have to ask someone else. I’ve already got an escort for the event, thank you very much.”

“No, I just meant I didn’t realize he was getting married,” he said.

“Where have you been for the past three days?” she scoffed.

“On a top secret mission for the King, thank you very much.”

She did not seem impressed by this and turned her attention back towards her friend.

“Did you know about this?” he asked his own drinking partner.

“The wedding?” said Archibald. “Yeah, I heard about it.”

“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

“Why does it matter?”

“The King’s son is getting married tomorrow, and when I left four days ago he wasn’t even courting anyone,” said Finn. “Isn’t that a bit strange?”

“I think it’s just an arrangement to secure ties between Affenland and Mollenfort,” Archibald replied. “He’s marrying Queen Lalia IV’s daughter, Amelia.”

“I thought we were already allies with Mollenfort. This makes no sense.”

“It’s political, I’m sure.”

“Are you going to be in attendance?”

“I’m one of the King’s top advisors,” said Archibald. “Of course I’m attending his son’s wedding.”

“Well, then, am I invited?” asked Finn, starting to feel a little left out of the whole thing.

“I’ll find out for you.”

***

As it turned out, Finn had been formally invited to Prince Liam’s wedding, he just missed the invitation that had been left in his chambers. He had seen the envelope when he returned from his journey and assumed it was a love letter from one of the many young women of the court whom he had bedded. He tossed it aside, figuring he would read it later, since he was so desperately tired. (He barely slept on the way back to the capital, either, in an attempt to avoid the farmer’s wife.)

The morning of the wedding, he got dressed in his finest clothes—which were not all that fine—and headed towards Rae’s chambers to fetch her, as he would be escorting her for the event.

“Is that what you’re wearing?” she asked when she opened her door to him.

“Why? Is that what you’re wearing?” He glanced at her attire, consisting of a chemise and nothing more.

“I’m still getting dressed, you imbecile.”

“Don’t, I like you like this.”

“I doubt the King would appreciate me showing up to his son’s wedding unclothed,” she said as she pulled her gown on over her head. She snapped her fingers and all of the buttons fastened down her back. “You know,” she added, turning to face Finn again, “I could put an illusion spell on your outfit to make it seem… more appropriate for such a special occasion.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“It’s so… drab.”

“All right, fine,” said Finn, holding his arms out at his sides. “Cast your damn spell.”

She said a few words in a language he didn’t understand and waved her hands around, and when he looked back down at his clothing, it appeared notably different.

“How do I look?” he asked as he turned to pose for her.

“Dashing.”

“Really?”

“Those clothes look great on you,” she said. “But they would probably look better on my floor.”

“Don’t we have a ceremony to attend?” he asked, though he grabbed her around her waist.

“We’ve got a couple of minutes, I’m sure…”

***

“And so,” the King said in his resonant voice as he stood at the head of the banquet hall, addressing all of the wedding guests who were preparing to feast, “it is with great honour that I present to you for the first time as man and wife, Prince Liam and Princess Amelia.”

The crowd applauded and cheered as the happy couple emerged from behind a curtained entrance and took their seats at the front of the hall along with the King of Affenland and the Queen of Mollenfort.

“I would also like to say a few words,” said Prince Liam, holding up a goblet of wine.

Everyone else held up their goblets as well.

“To my father: your wisdom has never failed me. You are the reason I have become the man that I am today,” he continued. “To my new mother-in-law: your strong will in the face of adversity never ceases to amaze me. You have raised a wonderful daughter, and I can only hope that she will likewise raise our children to be just as wonderful. And finally, to my blushing bride: your beauty is unmatched in all the kingdoms of the world. I cannot wait to begin the next stage of my life with you.”

“Oh, please,” Rae muttered quietly to herself as she took a drink from her goblet.

“What’s that?” Finn asked her, trying to keep his voice down.

“What a load of bullshit,” she said. “He’s up there acting like he’s so in love with his new wife, when two days ago he was putting his hand on my bottom, as if his betrothal meant nothing to him.”

“He did _what_?”

“He simply touched my bottom,” she replied, like it was nothing. “I mean, I’m used to it, but I just wasn’t expecting him to do it so soon before his own wedding.”

“Have the two of you…?”

She frowned at him. “Of course not. I have certain standards, you know. Unlike you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, I bet you can’t point out five women here you haven’t bedded.”

“Easy,” he said, and began pointing discreetly at some of the women around the hall. “Her… Her… Her—no wait, I did have her… Her.. Her… And, um…”

“That’s only four.”

“Give me a minute!”

“You get my point though, don’t you?”

“Fine, you use more discretion than I do when it comes to sharing your bed for the evening, I will grant you that,” he said. “But you know that I wouldn’t have to bed so many other women if you just gave in and married me, right?”

“Hah. Not a chance,” she said. “Besides, I doubt being married would stop you.”

“There’s only one way to—” Finn stopped talking when suddenly everyone else in the hall gasped loudly. He turned to face the front of the room, where they were all looking.

The King had fallen.


	2. Chapter 2

“Oh, fuck!” Finn said when he noticed the King’s collapse. He, like most others in the banquet hall, rose from his seat immediately, as if there were anything he could do to help in that moment. He felt powerless as he watched those closest to the King help him back up onto his chair.

But the King could not remain upright in his seat.

“We need the court medic and the court mage up in the King’s chambers immediately!” the King’s steward shouted as a group of guards lifted the King out of his chair to carry him out of the hall. “Immediately!”

“I need to go,” Rae said to Finn before she pushed her way through the swarms of people all bustling around chaotically.

“Wait!” he called after her. “I’ll go with you!” He followed her out of the banquet hall before he managed to catch up to her.

“Why are you coming, exactly?” she asked as she continued to hurry towards the King’s chambers.

“We don’t know why he collapsed,” he said. “It could have been foul play, in which case they’ll require an abolisher to vanquish the guilty party.”

“You were in the room when it happened, Finn,” she said. “No one attacked him. Besides, that’s what he has guards for.”

“Fine, then I’m just curious to find out what’s going on, all right?”

“My best guess: poison.”

“Poison?”

“You spoke to him less than a week ago and he was the picture of health, remember?” she said. “So what could have caused such a sudden and serious illness, enough to knock him over? Poison.”

“How was he poisoned?” he asked. He was understandably concerned—he’d already taken a bite of his own meal, so if the food was poisoned, then perhaps he was next to collapse.

“I suspect it was his wine,” said Rae, moving swiftly up the staircase. “He drinks a special private reserve that no one else is allowed to drink, not even his own son. If someone were trying to target the King, that would be the way to do it.”

“You certainly know a lot about how one might attempt to murder the King…”

“It’s my job—as it is yours—to protect the King, therefore I must know where possible threats might come from,” she said.

“Well, unless you magically poisoned his wine while you and I were fucking, I suspect that you are innocent,” he added.

“This is no time for your jokes, Finn.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry. This is just some heavy information to take in, and I’m not handling it well.”

“Look,” she said as she stopped to face him, “why don’t you go wait for me in my chambers and I will come tell you everything once I know what is going on?”

He held onto her arm and looked her in the eye for a moment before kissing her briefly. “Be careful, all right?”

She nodded. “I will.”

***

When Finn woke the next morning, it took him a moment to realize that he was not in his own bed, yet he was alone. An unusual occurrence for him. He gradually started to remember the previous night’s events. The King had collapsed. Rae went to help. And Finn stayed in her chambers to await her return, but she never came back.

Upon remembering this chain of events, worry began to set in. Why wasn’t she back yet? What had happened?

Before he could work himself into a panic, however, the door flung open and Rae walked in, almost like she was in a trance.

“Rae?” said Finn, rushing over to her. “Are you all right?”

“Dead,” she said, staring ahead blankly. “The King is dead. Dead.” She kept repeating that word, as though it had lost all meaning to her.

“What do you mean, he’s dead?” he asked. “You couldn’t save him?”

“There was nothing any of us could do,” she said. “I’ve never seen such a poison before. First it made him collapse and lose consciousness. Then it made him cough up blood and lose control of his bowels. And then it burned out his eyes and dissolved his fingernails. He was screaming, and there was nothing I could do to stop his pain, so… So…”

“Are you saying you…?”

She shook her head. “The medic, he took it upon himself to… Oh, Finn, it was horrible!” she said. “But he had no other choice.”

“It’s all right,” Finn said as he put his arms around her for comfort. “You did your best; that’s all that matters.”

“It’s not as though I’ve never seen anyone die before,” she added, shaking in his arms. “But nothing like that. Never anything like that.”

“Well, we’re certain that it’s poison, right?” he said. “I mean, it’s not as though old age or disease could do all of that.”

“True, but I have no idea what kind of poison does this.”

“We’ll just have to find out, then.”

***

“That does sound awful,” said Archibald after Finn and Rae told him what had happened to the King. “And I can’t think of any poison that would do such a thing off the top of my head, but I have a few books we could check.”

He went around to the bookcase behind his desk and pulled out a couple of volumes, but stopped when he set them on his desk. Pushing those books aside, he sat down and opened one that was already sitting there.

“That dragon prophecy,” he said as he flipped through pages. “Dragons will rise again when the King falls ill, right?It makes it seem as though the King must fall ill first before the dragons rise, but what if it is the other way around? I mean, it was translated from an ancient text, so some of the nuance could have been lost.”

“Are you suggesting that the King’s death has something to do with the dragon’s return?” asked Finn.

“Or that the dragon’s return _caused_ the King’s death?” said Rae.

“I don’t know exactly what I’m suggesting,” Archibald replied, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. “I just think that the timing is awfully suspicious. For all we know, it could be one person orchestrating the whole thing to make it _look_ like the prophecy is coming true.”

“You mean someone could have revived a dragon and poisoned the King just to fulfill some ancient prophecy?” said Finn.

“Perhaps,” said Archibald. “To what end, I’m not sure. If only I had access to the original text, I could try to decipher it myself and see if it would give us any more insight.”

“Where is the original?” Rae asked him.

“Last I heard, Tertia had stolen it back during the Red War. So as far as I know, it’s been destroyed by now.”

“But if someone is trying to enact the prophecy now, it must mean that they know it exists,” she said. “And they must know more of it than what can be found in this book, or else what purpose would it serve to enact it?”

“Meaning they must have access to the full prophecy,” Finn added.

“Exactly!”

“So you’re saying the original hasn’t been destroyed?” said Archibald.

“That, or there’s a more complete translation out there. Either way, it means we can find the whole prophecy, and once we do, we’ll know why all of this is happening,” said Rae. “And who’s behind it.”

“The question is,” Finn said, “who benefits from the King’s death?”

***

Nearly everyone in the city was gathered in and around the palace courtyard for the coronation. Finn could hear many rumours flying around about the King’s supposed death and the circumstances of it as he made his way over towards Rae and Archibald

“I heard that the medic stabbed him in the heart,” said one person.

“I heard that the court mage is a spy and put a curse on him,” said another.

Finn didn’t bother defending Rae’s reputation to these peasants as he passed. It wasn’t as though their opinions counted for anything.

The steward stepped forward from the King’s balcony and a hush fell over the crowd. “King Affen VIII is dead,” he announced without betraying any sense of emotion. “Long live King Affen IX!”

Prince Liam—or, rather, King Affen IX, as Liam was merely his middle name—stepped forward as well, and the crowd started chanting.

“Long live King Affen IX! Long live King Affen IX!”

He raised his own regal hand to silence them after a moment. “It is with a heavy heart that I greet you this day,” he said loudly for all to hear. “The truth of the matter is that my father was not well—he hadn’t been for some time—but he managed to hide it, even from some of his closest advisors.”

Finn looked over at Rae, who frowned. That didn’t seem right at all.

“But he trusted me with knowing his truth, and he primed me for this day,” King Affen IX continued. “And now, with my wife—my Queen—by my side, I am prepared to rule over you as a fair and just King, like my father.”

The audience applauded his speech dutifully, but Finn could tell that most of them were still in shock.

The King retreated into the palace and the crowd began to disperse. Finn turned to say something to Rae and Archibald, but he was preempted when a servant came up to them with his hands folded behind his back.

“The King would like to speak to the three of you right away,” said the servant.

“The King is dead,” Rae grumbled.

***

“Ah, you made it,” said the King when he met with Finn, Rae, and Archibald in his smallest assembly chamber. “Please, have a seat, each of you.” He gestured towards some of the empty chairs opposite him.

The three of them did as he requested and waited patiently for him to tell them why he had called them in here.

“I suppose the three of you are wondering why I’ve called you in here,” he said. “Well, you were all trusted advisors of my father’s, so I would like you to be trusted advisors of mine, as well.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” said Archibald, bowing his head slightly.

“And seeing as you all knew my father well, I was curious if any of you knew how he was _murdered_ ,” the King added calmly, folding his hands on the table in front of him.

“I thought you said he had an illness that none of us knew anything about,” said Finn, feigning ignorance.

The King waved his hand dismissively. “I only told people that so they wouldn’t worry. If they knew their King had been murdered, well, wars get started for less.”

“What makes you suspect it was murder?” asked Rae.

“You were there when he died, were you not?” he said. “I’ve heard the medic’s report. The blood and the eyeballs and the screaming. This was no natural cause of death, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Well, then, what in in the names of the gods was it?”

“We—We’re still trying to figure that out, Your Grace,” she replied. “We are studying poisons and trying to determine a possible motive for murder and—”

“Good, good,” he cut in with another wave of his hand. “I want you all on this matter until it gets solved. I shall inform my staff that you will be performing an investigation, and that they should assist you in whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Your Grace,” said Archibald.

“Do not disappoint me.”

***

“Well,” Archibald said once they were in the courtyard again, after having left the King’s assembly chamber, “that was slightly unexpected.”

“He seemed awfully placid for someone who suspects that his own father was just murdered,” said Finn.

“You know that the King can’t show any sign of weakness in front of others. He may be very upset underneath the surface,” said Rae. “Although, to be honest, I doubt it. He’s never seemed like one to care about things or their consequences.”

“So, what do we do now?” Finn asked.

“I am going to continue researching the effects of that poison, to see if we can narrow it down to a certain type,” said Archibald. “Perhaps the two of you ought to check out the wine in the King’s private reserve—er, the former King’s private reserve.”

Rae nodded as Archibald headed off towards the library, and then she turned to face Finn. “I suppose we should start investigating the wine cellar.”

“That’s not where they keep the King’s private reserve,” said Finn.

“It’s not?”

“Well, not in the main wine cellar, at least,” he said. “There is a secret one off the royal kitchen.”

“How do you know this if it’s a secret?” she asked skeptically.

“There is an awfully chatty maidservant who works in the kitchen, and she gets even chattier once bedded.”

Rae exhaled loudly in exasperation. “All right, then. That is where we shall begin our investigation.”

***

The royal kitchen was bustling with cooks and servants desperately preparing the King’s evening meal. Almost no one took notice of Finn or Rae when they entered—no one but a single maidservant.

“Finn!” she said when she looked up and saw them standing in the doorway, stopping mid-sweep. “What—What are you doing here?”

“We’re here looking for, well, you, actually,” said Finn when he approached her, Rae following shortly behind him.

“Me?” said the maidservant. She straightened her back and let go of her broom with one hand so she could smooth down the hair that had fallen out of her plait. “Why are you looking for me?”

“We were hoping you could help us,” he said. “We need to see the wine in the King’s private reserve. You told me the cellar where it is stored is just off the kitchen, right?”

Her eyes darted around the room, like she was making sure nobody had heard him. “That was supposed to be a secret!” she whispered.

“Right, sorry, but it’s kind of an emergency.”

“Well, I don’t personally have access to the cellar,” she said. “But if you ask the man over there in the blue tunic, he might be able to help you.”

“Great, thank you… Er…” he said, trying to come up with the young woman’s name, though it escaped him.

“Clea,” she said impatiently.

“Right, of course. Thank you again.” He looked over at Rae and nodded his head towards the man in the blue tunic before heading over there with her.

“You didn’t even remember her name?” Rae asked him quietly.

“Are you kidding?” he said. “I’ve already forgotten it again.”

“Sometimes I wonder why I even put up with you.”

“It’s because you love me.”

“Hardly.”

As they approached the man in the blue tunic, Finn cleared his throat to get the man’s attention. “Excuse me, kind sir,” he began. “But I was informed that you may be able to assist us. You see, we need to get into the cellar to examine the King’s private reserve for a top secret investigation.”

“No one is allowed in the cellar without explicit authorization from the King,” said the man, stone-faced.

“But our investigation is on the King’s behalf. He requested that we look into this matter.”

“Until I hear it from the King himself, you aren’t getting in there.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s just unacceptable,” said Rae, shoving Finn aside as she stepped forward. She waved a hand in front of the man’s face. “Surely we can come to some sort of arrangement.”

His expression softened. “All right, all right. I’ll let you in for a minute, but no lollygagging.”

Rae and Finn followed the man across the kitchen, through a door, along a corridor, down some stairs, through a smaller door, down some more stairs and finally to a hatch that opened into the cellar. He unlocked the hatch with a key from his belt and led them inside.

Finn let Rae take the lead, since he wasn’t entirely sure what sort of evidence they were looking for.

“Look at this,” said Rae, motioning for Finn to join her over near a couple of stacked barrels. “The royal seal on the barrels, it looks like someone’s tampered with them. And look, all the barrels are like this. Like they’ve all been opened.”

“That is highly unusual,” said the man in the blue tunic. “We only open one barrel at a time, and only when it is about to be served to the King.”

“Has anyone been down here since the wedding feast?” she asked him. “Has the new King been served wine from this cellar?”

The man shook his head. “The King requested that no one be served from these barrels, not even himself. He said that they belonged to his father and will always belong to his father.”

“That is probably for the best,” she said, “because I suspect all these barrels have been poisoned by someone who was not certain which was to be the next one served to our late King, and therefore tainted them all just to be sure.”

“But who would have had access to do such a thing?” said Finn. He looked at Rae questioningly, and then they both turned to face the man in the blue tunic.

“I am the only one who currently holds a key to this cellar,” he said. “There was another man with a key, but he quit his position two days before the wedding, and returned his key when he did so.”

“Who is he?” asked Rae. “He could have poisoned the barrels before he left.”

“Gerard. His name is Gerard.”

“And where did he go?”

“He said he inherited some property from his recently deceased father, over in Halesborough.”

***

Despite his protest, Finn eventually gave in and let Rae transport the pair of them to Halesborough so that they would not waste several days of their investigation on traveling. She did not have to be as discreet about her use of magic there now that she had been formally pardoned—the Halesborough guard were no longer on the hunt for her.

Still, Finn was a little surprised that she had transported them to the direct centre of a bustling open market. They got a few strange looks from passers by who were not used to seeing people appear out of thin air, it seemed.

“Come on,” said Rae, dragging Finn by his sleeve towards the nearest tavern. “We’ve got work to do.”

As Finn was quite aware, taverns and inns were great places to track someone down—the innkeepers generally knew everything about everyone in the area. They knew who the regulars were, and they could point out the irregulars, too.

Rae asked several innkeepers around if they’d met anyone new to Halesborough named Gerard. None were of any help, not until they reached the Stork and Sturgeon.

“Dunno if I’ve heard of any Gerard,” said the innkeeper. “But there is a new fella going by the name Gerald who’s been here the last few nights.”

“Do you know where he lives?” asked Rae. “What does he look like?”

“I don’t know where he lives, but he looks like that man right over there.” The innkeeper pointed to a man off in the corner, chatting with someone. “That’s Gerald.”

Rae thanked the innkeeper, and then turned to Finn. “I’ll go over and talk to him,” she said, “and you go get us a room upstairs. I’ve got an idea.”

***

Finn stood up when he heard voices outside the room he’d just rented for the night. The door opened all of a sudden, and Rae walked holding the arm of the man who had been pointed out to them earlier, _Gerald_.

“I, er, I think we’ve got the wrong room,” the man said when he noticed Finn standing there.

“No, we haven’t,” Rae said sweetly, holding his arm tighter as she shut the door behind them.

“There must be some sort of misunderstanding here. I should probably get going,” he said as he wrestled his arm free. He tried to open the door, but Rae snapped her fingers. The handle wouldn’t budge.

She extended her arms out at her sides and incanted a foreign word. “I’ve soundproofed the walls, so no one will hear you scream,” she said.

“Look, this isn’t really my idea of a good time, all right?” said the man with his back up against the door.

“I didn’t bring you here to have a good time, _Gerard_ ,” she said.

“Did you just call me ‘Gerard?’” he asked with a hint of panic in his voice.

“That’s your name, isn’t it?”

“But how did you—Who sent you?”

“We’re here on behalf of the King,” said Finn, stepping towards him. “And we have some questions we’d like you to answer.”

“Well, I’m not saying anything!”

“Are you sure?” said Rae. “Perhaps I could persuade you to talk.” She muttered something indiscernible and he jumped away from the door.

He looked all around, like he was trying to find whatever appeared to be causing him distress.

“What are you doing to him?” Finn asked her quietly.

“I’m making him think that he’s on fire,” she replied.

Gerard started hollering in pain. “Make it stop,” he cried out. “Make it stop!”

“Will you tell us what we want to know?” Rae asked.

“Yes, yes! I’ll tell you everything! Just—” His shoulders relaxed when she waved her hand in his direction, as though the imaginary flames had subsided.

“You had access to the wine cellar with the King’s private reserve, did you not?” Finn asked him.

“I did, yes. But I wasn’t the only one with a key! Fr—“

“We’ve already spoken to your colleague, who gave us full access to investigate the cellar,” said Rae. “And he told us how you quit your job right before the King died. Isn’t that suspicious?”

“My—My father passed away and left me a house here, and—”

“How very convenient for you,” said Finn. “Or perhaps you just needed an alibi for the day of the King’s murder.”

“But we know the wine barrels have been tampered with,” Rae added. “And we know you had access to them a mere two days before the King was poisoned. So our question to you is: why did you do it?”

“I didn’t—” Gerard started to speak, but stopped abruptly when she raised her hand towards him. “All right, all right, I’ll tell you!” he said in a strained voice.

Rae lowered her hand and he relaxed his shoulders again.

“I was paid to do it,” he said. “A man approached me about a week ago and told me he would pay me handsomely to taint the King’s wine. He provided me with a bottle of the poison, and enough money for me to buy a house here in Halesborough.”

“Who was it?” asked Finn.

“I—I don’t know who he was,” said Gerard. “But he spoke with an accent, like he was from Tertia.”

“Do you have any idea what was in that poison?” Rae asked him.

He shook his head. “All I was told was that I would only need to put a few drops in each barrel.”

She looked over at Finn. “That must be some super concentrated poison, then,” she said. “We ought to tell Archibald about this to see if it can aid him in his research.”

***

After returning to the capital with Gerard—so he could face trial for his actions—Finn and Rae found Archibald in his research chamber to tell him what they’d discovered in Halesborough.

“This all seems to line up with my own findings,” he said to them as he flipped open a large book to a marked page. “I came across in my research a poison with all the effects that you described, Rae, and it is highly potent. A single drop could land five grown men in the infirmary with similar symptoms to those of the late King, and there is no known cure. Anyone who ingests this poison will suffer extreme pain for up to three days before death releases them.”

“We need to make sure all those tainted barrels get destroyed,” said Finn. “Wouldn’t want anyone accidentally ingesting any.”

“I’ve already informed the King’s staff,” Archibald replied.

“This poison,” said Rae. “What is it, exactly?”

“It is called _Gorvoost_ or, roughly translated, ‘Horror Milk,’ and is composed of several deadly plants, all of which are native only to Tertia.”

“All the evidence seems to be pointing us in the same direction, then,” Finn said. He looked over at Rae and added, “It looks like we’re going to Tertia.”


	3. Chapter 3

It took a lot of convincing for Finn to get Rae to agree to come with him to Granesrow—it was the largest city on the coast next to the sea between Affenland and Tertia, so it was the best place to start their journey.

Rae, however, didn’t want to go to Tertia in the first place. “It’s not safe,” she had argued. “Besides, how are we even going to get to Tertia? No boats travel between here and there!”

Finn gave her a condescending look. “If no boats travel between here and there, then how did someone from Tertia find Gerard? How do so many people have illegal goods from Tertia, including you? How did Anastasia get here?”

He eventually wore her down, and she accompanied him down to Granesrow. She didn’t much care for the long trip on horseback, but she couldn’t transport them as she had never been there before. It took them nearly a week of traveling, since she needed to stop more frequently than he did. She was not used to traveling so long.

By the time they got into Granesrow, they were both exhausted, and went to the tavern to rent a room for the night so they could rest up before the next leg of their journey. They also used this opportunity to get some food and refreshment, since they had not had a proper meal or drink in several days. Finn could tell Rae was tired of eating stale bread, bruised apples, and cured meats.

“Finn?”

He looked back over his shoulder at the sound of his name before he had a chance to dig into the plate of food in front of him. Stacey was behind him and approaching quickly.

“I can’t believe it,” she said as she took a seat in the empty chair next to him. “I didn’t expect to see you back here.”

Finn glanced across the table at Rae and smiled apologetically. “This is Anastasia,” he said, gesturing at Stacey with his hand.

“Stacey,” she corrected him. “And who is this?” She barely glanced at Rae.

“I’m Rae,” she said. “I’m one of Finn’s associates.”

“Are you an abolisher, too?” Stacey asked with a look of disapproval.

“Evil sorceress,” Rae said dryly.

Stacey furrowed her brow. “In what way are the two of you associated, then?”

“Well, as a matter of fact—”

“We’re investigating the King’s murder,” Finn said before Rae could reveal any more details about the nature of their relationship.

Stacey looked shocked. “But I heard that the King died of illness!”

“He was poisoned, actually,” Rae added. “It was truly gruesome. He was choking on his own blood as his fingernails dissolved and—”

“I think she gets it,” said Finn to Rae, picking up Stacey’s hand to squeeze it reassuringly.

The expression of horror on Stacey’s face must have been exactly what Rae was trying to evoke, since she looked positively pleased. He knew that Stacey had a very weak stomach for that sort of thing, hence why he never told her too many details of his own work. (In most anecdotes about his job, he would tell her that he “scared the monsters away” with his sword, rather than describe how he’d gored and sliced and hacked them to pieces.)

“We could use your help, though,” he said to her. He looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation. “We need to find a way to get to Tertia.”

Stacey’s eyes widened. “Why would you want to go _there_ , of all places?” she asked.

“It’s a long story. We just need to,” he said. “Will you help us? Please.”

“I’m sorry,” she replied, sitting up straighter. “I don’t have any ties to that place.” She leaned towards him and added in a whisper, “We can’t talk here; there are eyes and ears everywhere. Meet me at the O’Neill house at daybreak.”

***

“So,” Rae said when she and Finn got to the room they rented for the night. “Do you think we can trust her?”

“Trust who?” he asked as he shut the door behind them and began taking off his clothes.

“ _Anastasia_ ,” she replied in her best approximation of Stacey’s accent.

“Of course we can trust her; she’s not clever enough to betray us.”

“Didn’t she betray you by giving herself to another man while she was betrothed to you?” Rae asked.

“That wasn’t a malicious betrayal, though. It was for love,” said Finn. “A concept that us humans understand,” he added, placing a hand on his chest to indicate he was referring to himself alone.

“For the last time, just because I’m magic doesn’t mean I’m not human,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

He smirked. “So you do love me, then?”

“I didn’t say that…”

“Admit it,” he said as he continued to undress himself. “At the very least, you enjoy my company.”

“In small doses,” she said.

He took a few steps closer and put his arms around her waist. “Just imagine how bored you’d be without me here.”

“I think I’d manage just fine.” She pushed him away and turned her back on him so she could get undressed as well.

“Come, now, Rae,” he said as he swept her hair off to the side and started to unfasten the buttons of her gown. “Why the cold shoulder?” He gently kissed her on the shoulder as he slid her dress down her arms slightly.

“Did you love her?” she asked. She was not melting into him the way she normally did when he kissed her there.

“What?”

“Anastasia. Did you love her?”

“You know that I didn’t,” he said, kissing the side of her neck.

“The way you held onto her hand, the way you talked to her…” she said. “It made it seem like you care about her.”

“Well, in a way I do, I suppose.” He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her body against him as he continued to kiss her on the neck and shoulder. “We were close for a while. But that doesn’t mean I loved her.”

“How close?” she said, grabbing Finn’s hands to stop him as he began sliding them up her front.

“Her purity remained in tact while we were together, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s difficult to imagine how that’s possible,” said Rae. “I know what you’re like around nubile young women.”

He tried to hike up her skirt despite the fact that she still had his hands restrained. “And what am I like?” he asked before biting her ear lobe.

“Well, like _this_ ,” she said.

“Only you can do this to me.”

“I doubt that.”

“I mean it,” he added in a more serious tone. “You have this effect on me, Rae, and I can’t control myself around you. It’s animalistic.”

“And how do I know you aren’t like this with all of them?” she asked.

He kissed her shoulder again, and continued kissing her up the side of her neck. “You just have to trust me,” he whispered in her ear.

“I want to trust you,” she said, turning to face him.

“So what’s keeping you?”

“I just… I can’t stop picturing you with her.”

“Anastasia?”

“ _Clea_.”

“Who?”

“The maidservant from the royal kitchen,” she said. “I’d never before seen you converse with one of your conquests after the fact.”

“And that bothers you?”

“First it’s Clea, then it’s Stacey—both seemed positively smitten with you, if a little dim-witted.”

“But I never consorted with Stacey in the way you’re suggesting,” he said. “We were betrothed, yes, but we kept a respectable physical distance from one another.” (That wasn’t entirely true, but he felt the details were unnecessary.)

“Still, if these are the kind of women who can charm you, then what does that say about me?”

“I don’t understand.”

“How can you have dalliances with women like _that_?”

“Like _what_ , Rae?” he snapped. “Beautiful women who show an interest in me? Gods forbid I find myself attracted to such!”

“Is that all I am to you, also? A beautiful woman who showed an interest?” she said.

“No! I mean, yes, but not just that,” he said. “Rae, say the word and I’ll never bed any woman but you ever again.”

“I’m not going to marry you, Finn,” she said with an exasperated sigh.

“I didn’t mean—But why won’t you?”

“Marriage is archaic,” she said. “I am no man’s property. And I can’t be tethered to one person for the rest of my life.”

“Fine,” he said as he pulled his tunic back on over his head and made his way to the door.

“Where are you going, now? Finn?”

“I need another drink.”

***

“Finn? Is that really you?”

Finn looked up from his drink to see the O’Neill girl heading towards him from across the tavern. “I’m no impostor,” he said, though he sort of felt like one at the moment.

“I didn’t think I’d see you back here after you ended your engagement with Stacey,” she said as she took a seat next to him. She placed a hand on his unencumbered back. “And I almost didn’t recognize you without the sword.”

“Taking the night off,” he replied. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“What are you doing here at this time of night?” he asked. “Shouldn’t you be at home?”

“This is my home, now,” she said.

He frowned inquisitively.

“I’ve been staying here for a few weeks now,” she said. “Got a bed upstairs.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to wait to get married before I could leave my parents’ house,” she answered. “I don’t even want to get married; it’s archaic.”

“So I hear,” he said.

“My brother and Stacey are betrothed, now, and I’ve got to say that I don’t envy them.”

“You’re awfully pessimistic for someone so young.”

“I’m so tired of people treating me like I’m a child,” she said. “I’m twenty-three years old, for fuck’s sake!”

“You’re right. My apologies, madam.”

She laughed a little and nudged him in the arm with her elbow.

“So, how do you afford to live here without the help of your parents or a husband?” he asked before taking a drink from his mug.

“I provide certain services to people in exchange for coin.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Laundry services!” she said. “I help Gladys, down by the river.”

“Of course. That’s what I thought you meant,” he said with a smirk.

“You’re very rude, you know that?”

“I’ve been told.”

“So, I heard that you’re the official court abolisher now,” she added. “That’s impressive.”

“It’s actually quite dull,” he said. “I don’t get to travel as much, but the coin is good.”

“Well, you’re traveling now, right?”

“Yes, I suppose I am.”

“You know, it’s the funniest thing; I had a dream about you a couple of nights ago.”

“Is that so?”

“I don’t remember the details, only that you were there and you…” She bit her lip and smiled coyly.

“And I what?” he asked, slightly amused by her sudden reticence.

She moved in closer so she could lower her voice. “Do you remember the night that you and Stacey announced your betrothal?”

“Not really.”

“Well, that’s flattering,” she said, taking his mug from his hand so she could have a sip.

“Why don’t you refresh my memory?”

“I could do more than that, if you like.”

He took the mug back from her and finished his drink. “You said something before about a bed upstairs, did you not?”

***

Finn and Rae headed to the O’Neill house first thing in the morning to talk to Stacey about getting to Tertia. When she answered the door, Stacey poked her head outside and took a look around, like she was making sure that no one else had followed them there.

“Come inside, quickly,” she said, stepping aside to allow them entry.

“You first,” Finn said to Rae, holding the door open for her.

She didn’t say anything as she breezed past him into the house. She hadn’t spoken to him since he got back to their room just before the crack of dawn. She didn’t even ask him where he’d been.

“Where is everyone else?” he asked Stacey when he realized the house seemed empty aside from the three of them.

“The O’Neills always visit the Temple at this time of day, so we have a few minutes to ourselves,” said Stacey.

“So do you know how we can get to Tertia or not?” Rae asked impatiently.

“You need to talk to Captain Gregory down by the docks,” said Stacey. “He runs a ship that stops in Tertia on its way to trade with the Other Lands. It’s off the books of course. And if you ask him flat out, he will deny it.”

“How are we supposed to get him to help us, then?” said Finn.

“You have to tell him that you are interested in some _rare cargo_ ,” she replied. “It’s code for illegal goods from Tertia.”

“Yeah, I figured,” said Rae. “But how do we get a ride over?”

“You’ll just have to ask him, I suppose,” Stacey said. “I don’t know for certain if he can take you there, but it’s the only shot you have.”

***

It wasn’t difficult to find Captain Gregory. After asking a couple of people around the docks, Finn and Rae were directed to a nearby tavern—which was really a brothel, but no one liked to call it such. Apparently its proximity to the docks made it a popular spot for sailors.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked the two of them when they wandered in. She was older that most of the other women there, so Finn suspected she was the proprietor. “Are you interested in a couple’s treatment?”

“What?” said Finn, uncertain of what he was being asked.

“No, thank you,” Rae added quickly. “We’re not here for that. And we’re not a couple.”

“Oh. All right…” said the proprietor. “What brings you here, then?”

“We were hoping you could point out someone to us,” Finn said. “Captain Gregory.”

“I’m sorry, dear,” she replied. “The identities of our clients are confidential.”

“This is rather an urgent matter,” said Rae. “It involves the circumstances of the late King’s death.”

The proprietor seemed intrigued. “Well, I can’t tell you who he is,” she said. “But if you head towards the bar, you’ll be getting warmer…”

Finn looked over towards the bar. Seated there was a solitary bearded man, staring into a tankard. He must have been the Captain, Finn thought.

Rae must have had the same idea, because she marched over towards him and said, “Captain Gregory?”

The man turned his head slightly to look at her. “Who’s asking?”

She sat down next to him as Finn came and stood beside her. “We heard that you might be able to help us,” she said.

“Doubtful,” said the man, returning his attention to his drink.

“We’re interested in some… _rare cargo_ …” she added quietly.

He looked over his shoulder at Finn and then back at her. “In that case, maybe I can help you,” he said. “What kind of rare cargo are you looking for, specifically?”

“Well, actually, we would be the cargo, so to speak,” she continued. “We were hoping to gain passage to, er, a different place.”

“A _rare_ place, you might say,” said Finn.

“Well,” said the Captain. “That’s certainly a bold request.”

“We can pay you,” said Rae. “And we’d provide our own food for the journey. And it would just be one way—we can find our own way back.”

“Hmm…” He turned to look at Finn again. “You an abolisher?”

“That’s right,” Finn replied.

“I might be able to help you, then,” Captain Gregory said. “But you’ve got to do something for me.”

***

“A mermaid?” Rae asked as she and Finn stepped out of the brothel. “Why do you have to kill a mermaid?”

“Because they are evil creatures,” said Finn, like this should have been obvious.

“Mermaids? Seriously?”

“Look, these aren’t the mermaids from the stories you were told as a kid,” he added. “They destroy ships and steal cargo and kill sailors.”

“Are you saying that mermaids _eat_ humans?”

“No, they just murder them for their own amusement. Like I said, they’re evil.”

“Have you ever fought a mermaid before?” she asked.

“Once,” he said. “It’s difficult because they definitely have the advantage in the water. What I need to do is lure it onto one of those rocks out there,” he added, pointing out towards the sea.

“How do you intend to do that?”

***

As Finn sailed his tiny dinghy out into the sea, he started to reconsider many of his life decisions. All of the decisions that had led him to this moment, in fact. If he had never taken that assignment from the Halesborough guard many moons ago, he never would have met Rae, never would have ended up in the capital, never would have wound up as the court abolisher, never would have been asked to investigate the King’s murder, and therefore wouldn’t be sailing into dark waters to confront a fucking mermaid. Half woman, half fish; all evil.

Few creatures struck fear into Finn’s heart like the mermaid. He’d ridden on the back of a dragon as he dug his sword into its neck, but _this_ made him nervous.

He had a plan, though.

The boat started to tip wildly, despite the water looking quite calm. _Showtime_ , he thought. He steered the boat towards the nearest rock formation, hoping that the mermaid would follow and he’d be able to draw her out of the water.

Although the boat continued to sway violently, he made it to the rocks and leapt out onto them right before the boat capsized. He started to worry about the fact that he didn’t have a way to get back to shore, but that thought quickly got shoved aside when a scaly head poked out of the water.

He scampered further up the rock, as he needed to lure the creature all the way out of the water if he wanted to defeat it.

“Hey, there,” he called out to her. “What’s your name?”

The mermaid hissed at him.

“That’s pretty,” he said. “You come here often?”

The mermaid slapped an algae-covered hand onto the rock.

“We should get a drink some time.” Finn had to wait to draw his sword until she was almost completely on the rock, otherwise he’d scare her off. Instead he kept creeping backwards so that she couldn’t reach him.

With both hands on the rock now, the mermaid pulled herself up onto it, keeping her tail in the water.

“Come on up here,” he continued. “The view is amazing. Very romantic.”

The mermaid hissed again, baring her jagged teeth as she inched closer to him. Only her tail fin remained underwater as she reached one arm out to grab his ankle. He yelped a little and tried to yank his leg free, but her grasp was too strong.

He quickly drew his sword and slashed at her wrist, removing her hand clean off. She screamed and tried to grab him with her other hand, but he stood above her and plunged his sword into her back, right between her shoulder blades. He twisted the blade just to be certain, and waited for her body to stop jerking before pulling it out.

He shuddered when he looked down at the disgusting—but dead—creature in front of him. Whoever thought to make mermaids the adorable protagonists of children’s stories was a sick-headed freak, he thought.

***

Finn wound up having to swim back to shore after solving the Captain’s little mermaid problem for him. He took his wet clothes to Gladys so she could clean them, and had to spend the next two days in one of the O’Neill boy’s outfits—which was a bit snug in some areas—as he and Rae waited to leave Affenland.

Once back in his own clothes and aboard the ship setting sail for Tertia, Finn learned something new about himself. He was prone to seasickness. A lot of seasickness. He’d never had this problem on smaller boats in more tranquil waters, but a large ship on the open sea was too much for his stomach to handle.

“You all right?” Rae asked as she sat down next to him, lying on the cot in their tiny cabin.

“I’ve been better,” he replied.

“I never thought to bring a potion to help with seasickness before we left, I’m sorry.”

“I’m fine right now,” he said. “My malaise is more emotional than physical at the moment.”

“And why is that?”

“You’ve been cold to me for days, Rae,” he said. “Since our first night in Granesrow, actually.”

“You’re the one who stormed out of our room to be with some hussy that night.”

“How did you know about that?”

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”

“Fine, but you said you didn’t want to be tethered to me, right? So why should I have to be tethered to you?”

“What do you want from me, Finn?” she asked impatiently.

“I only want you, that’s it,” he said. “But if you don’t want us to pledge our fidelity to one another, then you can’t get angry at me for my indiscretions.”

“How can you say you only want me, and yet you bed an assortment of women on a regular basis?” she said. “It’s behaviour like this that makes me unable to trust your sincerity. Besides, all I wanted from you was a bit of fun once in a while. That’s it.”

He sat up so he could look her in the eye. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be so upset by my behaviour.”

“I’m not upset,” she argued.

“You sound upset.”

“Well, I’m not!"

“Fine, you’re not upset.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in to kiss the side of her face, but she turned away from him.

“I think our relationship should be strictly professional from now on,” she said.

“What?”

“I can have a bit of fun with anyone; there’s no need for me to keep coming back to you.”

“But Rae—”

She stood up quickly. “Goodnight, Finn.”

“Where are you going?” he asked as she started to leave.

“To find somewhere else to spend the night.”

***

“What are you doing?” Finn asked as Rae placed her hands next to his ears.

“I’m casting a spell on your aural receptors to translate anything you hear into a language you’ll understand,” she said. “It’ll only last for twenty-four hours. And it won’t make you able to speak the local language, just understand it.”

“So how will I communicate with people?”

“You won’t. I will,” she replied. “I’m multi-lingual, Finn.”

“I did not know that,” he said. “Say something in Tertian.”

“Greetings, salmon.”

“That was Affenlandic,” he said with a frown. “And you called me a ‘salmon.’”

“No, it was Tertian,” she said. “Your ears just translated it for you. And I called you a _salmon_ ,”—the translator was still functioning—“which in Tertian can mean either ‘salmon,’ or ‘a man with no virtues or land.’ There’s not really a word for that in Affenlandic.”

“Oh, well, thanks, then.”

“Don’t take it personally,” she added. “That’s just what they’d call you here.”

“I have no virtues?”

“Let’s not get into this now. All that matters is that you understood what I said, so the spell worked.”

“So what’s the plan when we get to shore?” he asked. “I’m just supposed to stand there and not say anything?”

“That would be preferable, yes,” she said.

“Why did I even bother coming all this way with you, then?”

“Because,” she said as she stood up, “everyone else bores you.”

Well, he couldn’t argue with that.

***

Since the ship was so large—and was not able to dock at any of the major cities in Tertia seeing as it belonged to a rival nation—it was required to drop anchor a way out from the coastline. All of the “rare cargo” was transported on dinghies to a smaller town where, similar to Granesrow, folks didn’t ask too many questions.

Once Finn and Rae were on dry land, Captain Gregory’s men seemed to be done with them. This was as far as his men had agreed to take them; to Tertia. Negotiating their way into the city was their own problem.

“Excuse me,” Rae said to one of the Tertian men who was helping unload the cargo. (Though Finn was watching her speak, and it was clear those weren’t the actual words her mouth formed.)

“What is it?” the man replied gruffly.

“We were wondering where we might find a place to stay tonight, like an inn,” she said.

He eyed both her and Finn suspiciously—he could obviously tell they weren’t locals—but didn’t ask any more questions. “There’s an inn over in Yroct,” he said, pointing to his right. “Follow the signs in that direction and it will take you there. Don’t stray off the roads, or the gortrungs will get you.”

“Gortrungs?” Rae asked, seemingly as clueless about the word as Finn was, since his ears didn’t translate it.

“Huge beasts with razor sharp claws that spit immobilizing poison,” said the man.

“…We’ll stay on the roads, then.”

***

Finn and Rae made their way to Yroct incident-free and found the inn, so they could get a night’s rest without Finn throwing up from seasickness. They also used the opportunity to gather some intel in order to track down the man who hired Gerard.

After asking around a little, Rae managed to figure out several things; namely that Gorvoost was an illegal substance in Tertia and officially no one produced it anymore, and that the only person who still (unofficially) made it happened to live right there in Yroct.

“Greetings, sir,” she said to the local apothecary when they entered his shop.

“Greetings,” he replied. “How may I help you?”

“I am looking for a particular concoction,” she said. “You see, I am a sorceress, and this here is my salmon friend.”

Finn glared at her but kept his mouth shut.

The apothecary nodded at each of them. “I’m sure I can find whatever you’re looking for,” he said.

“It’s called Gorvoost,” she added.

“Ah. You are not from around here, I gather.”

Rae took a step closer and lowered her voice. “I know it’s illegal, and I’m not actually looking to purchase any of it,” she said. “I was just wondering if you know of anyone who might have purchased a bottle of it in the past month or so?”

“A bottle, you say?” He scratched his chin. “Most people who purchase Gorvoost buy it in a small vial—or so I hear. In fact, there was only one person who purchased an entire bottle of it within the past year…”

“Did you know this person?”

He shook his head. “He claimed to be an assassin from Yrvic, but his accent didn’t seem right,” he said. “His speech had the cadence of someone who had grown up speaking Mollan, so I suspected he was a spy.”

Finn was curious why this man would sell such a large amount of poison to a suspected enemy spy, but he didn’t want to raise that question. Besides, it seemed like most people in Yroct were happy to go about their lives without learning too much about the visitors that passed through.

“Do you remember anything about this man?” Rae asked. “Any distinguishing features?

“He had red hair, and a scar across his left eye,” said the apothecary, drawing an invisible line down the left side of his face with his finger. “That’s all I can remember.”

Rae thanked the man for his co-operation and led Finn outside. “A Mollan spy?” she said quietly.

“Why would someone from Mollenfort come all the way to Tertia just to buy a ridiculous amount of poison in order to kill the King of Affenland?” he said in response. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“It looks like we have some more travels ahead of us…”


	4. Chapter 4

“You know how much I hate that,” Finn grumbled, shaking his head from side to side until his brain felt balanced again.

“Would you rather have found your own way back to Affenland?” said Rae.

“No, but—Hey, wait a minute,” he said as he looked around. “We’re in Halesborough. What are we doing in Halesborough?”

“I figure that if we need to get to Mollenfort, we might as well ask our favourite Mollan healer to help us.”

“Ah, Isabelle.”

“Exactly,” she said. “Now, why don’t you go find her and let her know what’s going on, while I pop back to the capital to fill Archie in on our findings.”

“I don’t think I can—”

“I’ll be an hour, tops. Behave yourself for an hour, all right?”

“Fine, I’ll try and find her,” he said. “Not that I even remember where her house is.”

Rae pointed to a small house a few yards away. “That’s it right there. See you in a bit.”

Hanging his head in futility, Finn trudged off in the direction of Isabelle’s house as Rae opened a magical portal in the middle of the road and stepped through it. He knocked on the door a couple of times, but there was no answer. He figured she wasn’t home and he would have to try back later, so he wandered down the street a ways so as not to seem like he was loitering.

Of course, knowing his tendencies, he wound up several blocks away at the Stork and Sturgeon and figured he might as well get a drink if he was already there, right?

“Finn, buddy!”

He felt a hand clap him on the shoulder and looked up to see Chop’s gap-toothed grin beaming down at him. “All right, Chop?” he said. “How’s life treating you these days? Getting lots of work?”

“Loads,” said Chop, collapsing into the seat across from Finn. “When word gets out that you helped slay a dragon, people tend to want your business.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“I’ll say, Mr. Court Abolisher. Ha ha!”

“Eh, it’s nothing.”

“Modesty doesn’t suit you, my friend.”

Finn shrugged.

“Oh, I haven’t told you the best news yet,” Chop added eagerly, pounding his fist on the table. “Me an’ Izzy, we’re getting married! In two days!”

“Izzy?”

“Isabelle, the healer,” he said. “She helped us with the dragon, remember?”

“Yeah, of course I remember her, I just didn’t know that you called her ‘Izzy,’” said Finn. “Or that you were getting married to her.”

“Well, our courtship began shortly after the whole dragon-slaying thing, and next thing I knew, we were betrothed. Can you believe it?”

“Not at all,” he said, then quickly added, “I mean, congratulations, of course. I’m very happy for you.”

“Yeah, you sound it.”

“It’s true, I’m just exhausted. I’ve been traveling a lot lately.”

“Do you need a place to sleep for the night?” Chop asked. “I’m sure Izzy’s got a spare cot you could use.”

“She’s not home right now.”

Chop looked suspicious about how Finn could possibly know that.

“Rae and I need to talk to her about something important,” he explained. “So I went by her house a few minutes ago, but there was no answer.”

“Where’s Rae, then?”

“She’s gone to the capital to talk to Archibald, but she’ll be back soon.”

“Well, Izzy’s probably just on a call to someone’s house right now, but she’ll be home soon, too,” said Chop. “We can head over there… after another drink.”

***

Several drinks later, Finn and Chop stumbled their way back to Isabelle’s house, where they found both her and Rae waiting (impatiently) for them.

“And where have _you_ been?” Rae asked Finn, standing up so she could stare him down.

“I just ran into Chop at the tavern and—Did you know he and Izzy are getting married in two days?” he replied, slapping Chop on the shoulder.

“I did, as a matter of fact,” she said. “I’ve been here talking to Isabelle for over an hour. And you were supposed to already be here.”

“We’re here now, so what’s the difference?” said Chop, flopping into a chair near the hearth of the fire.

“As it turns out,” Rae continued, “Isabelle can’t transport us to Mollenfort.”

“What? Why not?” asked Finn.

“I’m sorry,” said Isabelle. “It’s been too long since I’ve been there; I’m not confident that I could transport you to the right spot. You could end up in the middle of a blacksmith’s forge, for all I remember of the place. And things might have changed since I left, too.”

“So, what do we do?”

“I thought this was a possibility,” Rae added, “so I made a point of getting a map from Archie that’ll show us how to get there by horse.”

“But that could take weeks!” said Finn. “And I don’t have my horse with me. It’ll take even longer from the capital.”

“We’ll buy horses here in town,” she said. “That way we can ditch them when we arrive and I’ll transport us home, safe and sound.”

“I’d rather spend a month on horseback,” he grumbled, mostly to himself.

“If you’re going to be traveling all that way, you’ll need a couple of days to gather supplies, won’t you?” said Chop, looking up at them eagerly.

“I suppose,” said Rae.

“Then you should come to our wedding!”

“I’m not sure that we have time for—”

“Come on, Rae,” Finn whined. “Chop’s one of my best mates, all right? I have to see him get married. I never thought the day would come.”

“Wait, is that an insult?” Chop asked.

“All right, fine,” she said. “We’ll stay for the wedding, but we leave the very next morning.”

***

“Aren’t you going to do that thing?” Finn asked Rae as he stood in front of her, fully dressed save for his armour and weapons.

“What thing?” she replied before muttering an incantation that intricately plaited her hair and arranged it all into a bun on the back of her head.

“That thing where you make my clothes look like fancier clothes so people don’t think of me as some sort of ‘man with no virtues or land,’” he said.

“What you’re wearing seems fine,” she said drearily. “It’s not a prince’s wedding, after all.”

“Our close friends are getting married and you think that ‘fine’ is good enough?” he asked. “I want to look _dashing_ again.”

She glanced at him. “I don’t know if there’s enough magic in the world to accomplish that.”

“Don’t tease.”

“Fine, fine,” she said before waving her hands in the air in front of him and mumbled something.

When he looked down at his clothes, he noticed they weren’t all that much better than what he’d already been wearing. “How about a real go, this time?” he said.

She sighed and then waved her hands again, this time speaking the words more emphatically.

“Ooh, much better,” he added as he examined his sleeves. “Is that silk?”

“Hurry up or we’re going to be late.”

***

The wedding ceremony was simple—nothing as extravagant as the new King’s recent wedding—but the couple seemed truly happy about it. It made Finn wonder what Rae was thinking the whole time. That marriage was archaic? That Isabelle was allowing herself to be Chop’s property? That she was tethering herself to one man for the rest of her life?

“Quit staring at me, it freaks me out,” Rae said to him as she looked straight ahead, watching the ceremony take place.

He quickly returned his attention to the ceremony as well. “I’m not staring.”

The feast after the ceremony was also simple, but there was lots of food and plenty of drink, so Finn was satisfied. There were also, as it turned out, many young women in attendance, out hoping to land their own husbands or, at the very least, someone to share the evening with so they would not feel so lonely. And, as the only man in attendance wearing a boldly coloured silk tunic, Finn received quite a bit of their attention.

“So, what does the court abolisher do, exactly?” one asked him as he was getting a drink at the outdoor bar that had been set up for the occasion.

“Pretty much the same as any other abolisher,” he replied. “Only I get paid by the King now, so as you can imagine, my fee has gone up a little.”

“That is fascinating,” she said, unable to hide the delight in her eyes at the mention of coin. “You don’t dress like any of the abolishers I’ve seen before.”

“It’s silk,” he said boastfully.

“That is exquisite,” she said as she ran her fingers along his forearm. She continued trailing her hand up his arm. “You’ve got great shoulders, too. Do you swim much?”

“Only after slaughtering a mermaid,” he said, taking a drink from his mug.

She laughed like that was the most hilarious thing she’d ever heard, which startled him. “You’re quite funny, too,” she said. “I absolutely adore a man with a good sense of humour.”

“Guilty as charged, then.”

“I always thought that abolishers were supposed to be serious and stoic,” she added.

He surprised himself with his own spurt of laughter. “Sorry, but I’ve never known that to be the case.”

“I see. I’m learning so much this evening.”

“I can teach you plenty more, if you like.”

“Well, there is one thing I’ve always wanted to know…” she said secretively, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Is it true that abolishers make excellent lovers?”

“So I hear.”

She leaned back against the makeshift bar. “Fascinating.”

***

Finn was in the middle of downing his third beverage of the evening—while another young woman was talking at him—when Rae approached and grabbed him forcefully by the neck opening of his tunic. “Ow! What?” he said as he spilled some of his drink.

“You’re coming with me,” said Rae, dragging him along as she marched off.

He managed to get her to let go of his neckline, allowing her instead to take him by the hand. “All right, but one question,” he said. “Where are we going?”

She didn’t answer him, but he managed to figure it out when he saw that they were heading for Isabelle’s house, where they’d been staying for the past couple of days.

“You need me to tuck you in?” he asked in jest.

It wasn’t until they were inside, with the door slammed shut, that she said anything else. “Take off those garish clothes.”

“Garish? I thought they were supposed to make me look dashing.”

“They make you look like a buffoon.”

“Well, in that case I will take them off,” he said, removing his belt with a flourish.

“Hurry up.” She started to tug on his tunic, trying to lift it over his head.

“Be careful; it’s made of silk.”

She snapped her fingers and the clothes returned to their true drab nature.

“Oh, right,” he said, like he’d forgotten it was all an illusion. “But why the rush, exactly?”

“I just… want this.”

“Wait, Rae,” he added, holding onto her arms to keep her from disrobing him. “Why are you suddenly interested in me again? You’ve been so indifferent for a while now.”

“I just thought it was time for a little fun,” she said as she pulled him closer.

“Didn’t you have enough fun with the sailors on our way to Tertia?”

“What?”

“You said you didn’t need to keep coming back to me. You said our relationship was strictly professional from now on.”

“Who cares what I said before?” She wriggled her arms free of his grasp and hooked them around the back of his neck. “All that matters is what I’m saying now.”

He turned his face so that when she tried to kiss him, she missed and ended up grazing his cheek with her lips. “You’re a bit inebriated, aren’t you?”

“I thought you liked your girls that way,” she said. “Drunk and dim-witted.”

“I’d hardly call you dim-witted, Rae.”

“Well, I want _you_ , so I must be.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“If I had any sense, I’d absolutely know better than to fall in love with an abolisher,” she said, dropping her head onto his shoulder like she couldn’t bear to hold it up any longer.

“Are you… saying that you’re in love with me?”

“Fuck,” she muttered. Her response was slightly muffled by his shoulder.

He smiled a little. “That bad, huh?”

She lifted her head drearily and pushed herself away from him. “Just forget it.”

When she started to walk away, he reached out for her. She turned and looked back at him in confusion before he pulled her in towards him by her hand.

“Say it again,” he said, holding her around her waist. “Say that you love me.”

“I’m not going to say it.”

“Why not? What’s the worst that could happen if you did say it.”

She looked him in the eye seriously. “You might not.”

“Is that what you want?” he asked. “Fine, Rae, I love you. There.”

“Goodnight, Finn,” she said as she pried herself away from him again.

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

“Perhaps if you were less flippant about your feelings for me, I might have a different answer for you, but as it stands… goodnight, Finn.”

***

It was early in the morning when Finn and Rae saddled up the horses they’d purchased for their trip to Mollenfort, making sure all their supplies were packed and secured as well.

“Have you got everything you need?” Isabelle asked them.

“I think so,” Rae replied. “We’ve got enough food for a few days, and we can stock up in towns along the way.”

“And you have your credentials, right?” said Isabelle. “They check for those at the border.”

“We’re all set,” said Finn.

“Well, good luck, mate,” Chop said, shaking Finn’s hand. “I hope you find the bastard who did this.”

“Thanks, I hope so, too.”

“I suppose we should let you get going,” Isabelle added. “I’m so glad you were able to stay for the wedding, though.”

“Me, too,” said Rae, with a smile that Finn could tell was fake. She still hadn’t spoken to him since the night before. It was going to be a long journey.

***

 _Another fucking harpies’ nest_ , Finn thought. It was the third one he’d been asked to clear since he and Rae started their travels to Mollenfort. He wouldn’t have bothered with these odd jobs if it weren’t for the fact that they needed food and shelter for the length of their journey. People would offer a hot meal or a place to sleep in exchange for some abolishing work.

Of course, they would always downplay the severity of the beast problem they faced, and it always ended up being harder work than Finn was expecting. He was seriously undercharging for his services. But he was too tired to haggle anymore. The non-stop traveling was wearing him out.

“You look exhausted,” said a young woman, looking up from tending a small vegetable garden, as he trudged towards the blacksmith’s house behind her.

“Thank you,” he said, barely casting her a cursory glance.

“You’re the abolisher that Papa hired to kill those harpies, aren’t you?” she added.

“I suppose I am.”

“Horrible creatures, they are.”

“Indeed.”

“Did you manage to get them?”

He stopped and faced her with his arms open. “Well, I’m not covered in my own blood, that’s for sure.”

“I could clean those for you,” she said without batting an eye.

“Really?”

She nodded. “There’s even a hot spring not too far from here, if you’d like to bathe.”

“That would be incredible,” he said. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to bathe. (Swimming away from the mermaid carcass didn’t count.)

***

After fetching a laundry basket and a change of clothes, the blacksmith’s daughter led Finn to the hot spring just south-east of town.

“I’ll take your clothes and wash them over there,” she said, pointing to a nearby stream. “Meanwhile you can relax in the spring here, all right?”

“Sounds good,” he replied. He removed his armour and weaponry swiftly and lifted off his tunic before he realized that she was just standing there, watching him undress. He whistled to get her attention and indicated for her to turn around.

She laughed as she did so. “I didn’t know abolishers were so shy,” she said.

“I wouldn’t want you to think me indecent.”

“Of course.”

He quickly disrobed and stepped into the hot spring, where the rocks were arranged like stairs leading into the depths of the water. It had been ages since he’d had a hot bath, and he’d forgotten just how pleasant it was.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” the blacksmith’s daughter said as she scooped up his filthy clothes and carried them over to the stream to wash them.

“Extremely,” he replied, speaking loud enough for her to hear him all the way over there.

“For gods’ sake, abolisher,” she added as she started scrubbing his clothes with a rock. “How many harpies did you kill?”

“Just today, you mean?” he asked with a chuckle. “And the name’s Finn, by the way.”

“What?”

“Finn. My name’s Finn. Not ‘abolisher.’”

“Noted,” she said. “I’m Jayne.”

He made his way over to the other edge of the small spring and leaned his head on a mound of dirt. “I won’t remember that,” he said as he closed his eyes, allowing the warm water to relax his overworked muscles.

“Well, I think I’ve got most of it out,” she said after some amount of time—Finn had lost track.

“I appreciate it,” he replied, keeping his eyes closed. He didn’t open them again until he felt movement in the water.

Jayne was lowering her lithe, unclothed body into the water across from him. He lifted his gaze skyward as fast as he could.

“I didn’t realize you would be joining me,” he said, trying to keep his eyes anywhere but on her.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, I was just startled, that’s all.”

“It’s all right.”

“What’s all right?”

“I’m not shy. You can look.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Well, it’s safe now to look now, anyway,” she said. “I’m in the water.”

He lowered his eyes towards her hesitantly.

“Your modesty surprises me, Finn,” she added. “I’d imagine that you’ve seen plenty of naked women in your life.”

“What makes you say that?” he asked, making sure to keep his eyes on hers, as the water was clear enough for him to glimpse more if he tried.

“Abolishers have a certain reputation with women. And an abolisher that looks like you—well, let’s just say that I can see the appeal.”

“I’m flattered, I think, but—” He stopped when she began wading towards him. “What are you doing?”

“I just thought I’d come a little closer so we could converse more intimately,” she said as she settled into the space next to him.

“Converse about what?” he asked as he lifted his gaze once again.

“Tell me more about what it’s like to be an abolisher,” she said, placing a wet hand on his shoulder.

“It’s not that exciting,” he said. (He knew exactly what sort of answers to give when women asked about his work—if he wanted something from them. He wasn’t quite sure what to say if he didn’t.)

“I doubt that.”

He shrugged her hand off his shoulder. “Killing monsters isn’t all its cracked up to be.”

“Don’t you also get to travel the kingdom and meet lots of people?” she asked.

“Traveling is the worst and people are terrible.”

“You think I’m terrible?”

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I don’t know. You might be.”

She gave him an impish smile as she subtly inched closer.

“Jayne, look—” he began, holding up his hands to stop her from approaching.

“You remembered my name.”

“—I can’t do this.”

“Can’t do what?”

“What you want me to do.”

She briefly looked down into the water and then back at his face. “Can you not…?”

“Fine, I _can_ do it, I just don’t _want_ to,” he explained.

“Oh.” She backed a way a little and folded her arms over her chest.

“Look, I’m sorry if—”

“Jayne!” a young man called out from the path by the stream.

“Who’s that?” Finn asked Jayne.

“My betrothed,” she said quietly, and then turned to face the young man who was fast approaching. “Greetings, darling!” she added, louder, when he reached the edge of the hot spring.

“What are you doing here?” he asked her. “Who is _he_?”

“He’s an abolisher my father hired,” she said casually, as though she hadn’t just been caught naked in a hot spring with another man.

“And what are you doing with him?” the young man growled.

“Nothing happened, pal,” said Finn.

“I didn’t ask you!”

“I was just helping him get cleaned up,” she said. “You know he destroyed a nest of harpies for us, right?”

“Is that so?” said the young man, pacing around until he stopped in front of Finn’s sword and picked it up. “Think you’re tough, do you, _pal_?”

“Whoa, there,” Finn said, holding up his hands in surrender as the man picked up the sword, removing it from the scabbard. “Take it easy, all right?

“Don’t you tell me to take it easy!”

Jayne began to make her way out of the water as her betrothed pointed the sword at Finn. “Oh, put that away, Bradley,” she said. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

Bradley turned and pointed the sword at her as she stepped out of the spring, which led Finn to jump up immediately in her defence, without even giving it a second thought.

“You, stay away from her,” said Bradley, turning back towards Finn.

“I will if you drop the fucking sword,” Finn replied, climbing out of the water cautiously.

“Jayne, get over here!”

“Not until you put that thing down,” she said.

Bradley stared intently at Finn for a good thirty seconds before slowly setting the blade back down on the ground. As soon as it was out of his hands, Jayne went over and shoved him in the chest.

“You idiot,” she said to him. “As if you even know how to use a sword. Gods! I swear, you’re even denser than your brother, sometimes.” She picked up her clothes off the ground and slipped on her chemise. “Let’s go.”

***

“I didn’t do anything!” Finn said pleadingly to Rae when they slowed their horses to an amble, several miles outside of town.

“And that’s why the blacksmith ran us out of town?” she asked, without even glancing at him.

“At least you got to leave with your own clothes,” he said. “Mine are still soaking wet in a pile by the stream, and I have to wear these rags for the rest of the trip.”

“I’m sure you can find some new clothes in the next town, crybaby. What I don’t get is why you were out of your clothes at all, if you _didn’t do anything_.”

“She was cleaning them in the stream while I bathed in the hot spring,” he explained. “And then she jumped in with me, even though I did not ask her to. I didn’t want her there.”

“What a difficult life you lead, Finn,” said Rae.

“It’s true! I turned down her advances and—”

“If I ever saw you turn down a woman’s advances, I would know that the end of the world was near.”

“Hey, I’ve turned down plenty of women, all right?”

“Oh, well, in that case I owe you an apology,” she added sarcastically.

“You do, though, Rae,” he said. “I did nothing wrong.”

“Except for telling me that you love me and then fucking a barely-adult woman in a hot spring, no, you haven’t done anything wrong.”

“But I didn’t touch her, I swear!”

“You broke up the poor girl’s engagement, Finn,” she said. “That suggests you did more than touch her.”

“Look, it was all a misunderstanding. She tried to seduce me, but I showed immeasurable restraint.”

“So it took _immeasurable restraint_ to keep your hands off her, then?”

“How did I end up being the villain, here?”

“It doesn’t matter, all right?” she said. “I told you I didn’t want to marry you, so you’re free to fuck as many wenches as you please.”

He wanted to argue, but he could tell he was getting nowhere with her. “Fine,” he said. “I will.”

***

The trip to the border of Mollenfort only took twelve days, but it took several more to get to the capital city, Lloenvill. Finn and Rae did ask for information in some of the small towns along the way, but nobody had any knowledge of a red-haired man with a scar across his left eye. So they figured the most populous part of Mollenfort would be a good place to start their search.

As it turned out, there were several red-haired men with a scar across their left eye in Lloenvill. One of the most prominent and prolific families in town was the—predominantly red-haired—Lloen family, who prided themselves on their military involvement, meaning many of the men (and women) in the family had battle scars.

Most of them battled on the home front, however, so Rae and Finn were quickly able to narrow the suspects down to one; the only one who’d been out of the country in the past several months.

“Leroy Lloen?” Finn asked as they approached a red-haired man who had been pointed out to them in a gambling parlour.

The man looked up at the sound of his name.

“We need to talk to you,” Finn added, but Leroy frowned in confusion. “Do. You. Speak. Affenlandic?”

“Of course I do,” Leroy scoffed. “Everyone in Mollenfort is trilingual.”

“I apologize on behalf of my colleague,” said Rae. “We were hoping to ask you a few questions about an important matter. Is there somewhere we could speak in private?”

Leroy examined her for a moment. “Come with me,” he said as he stood up.

Both Rae and Finn began to follow him, but Leroy waved at his associate to grab Finn by the shoulder and pin him down into a chair.

“Just you,” Leroy said to Rae.

She looked back at Finn and nodded, as if to say that she could handle it on her own. It did not, however, make him worry less.

***

When Rae finally reappeared a half hour later, she was alone.

The man holding Finn hostage said something to her in Mollan, but the only word Finn could make out was, “Leroy.”

“He’s fine,” Rae replied. “He fell asleep, though. Must have worn him out. You can go check on him, if you like.”

Leroy’s associate got up and immediately headed in the direction Rae had come from, while she pulled Finn out of his chair and dragged him out into the evening air.

“We need to get back to Affenland right away,” she said in a loud whisper as they ducked into an alleyway behind a building a couple of doors down from the gambling parlour.

“What’s going on?” Finn asked. “What happened in there with that guy?”

“I cast a truth spell on him, and then a sleep spell,” she replied. “But he told me who hired him to get the poison from Tertia.”

“Who?”

Her eyes darted around for a moment and she leaned in to lower her voice even further. “Prince Liam.”


	5. Chapter 5

“Morning, Archibald,” Finn said as he passed his neighbour, who was out milking his cow.

“Morning, Finn,” said Archibald in response, raising one hand to wave.

Finn smiled sadly and continued on his way to the lumber mill. This was his life now. Greeting his fellow townsfolk as he made his way to work, where he would chop wood all day until it was time to go home. Rest and repeat. He wasn’t sure how normal people did this sort of thing, day in and day out. Though, he supposed, he was normal person now, too.

As soon as Finn and Rae had made it back to the capital in Affenland, they were fired from their court positions and banished from the city. Supposedly, it was because word of their trip to Tertia had made its way to the King, but they suspected it had more to do with their newfound knowledge of his involvement in his father’s death. Archibald was also banished for aiding them.

So they had to make their way to Leaverton—the place where people went to live when they couldn’t afford to stay in Halesborough. Finn could have lived somewhere nicer if he’d kept his job as an abolisher, but Archibald thought it would be best for them all to lay low until they could figure out a way to reveal the truth about the patricidal King.

The three of them did meet up every few days to brainstorm ideas, though. They would usually gather at the local inn, where Rae had gotten a job as barmaid, and discuss any progress in their mission. Most of the time, there was nothing to report. Until, one day, Archibald had an idea.

“I think we need to revisit the idea of the prophecy,” he said to them. “It may tell us why the usurper killed his father.”

“Was it not so he could become King?” said Finn.

“Perhaps, but there could be more to it than that,” said Archibald. “It doesn’t explain the dragon, for instance.”

“The dragon could just be a coincidence,” Rae pointed out.

“Somebody went through the effort of reviving a dragon. There must have been a reason.”

“Well, where are we supposed to find the full text of this prophecy?”

“I say we go to the last place we know it’s been, and start from there.”

“You mean Tertia?” Finn asked.

“Why not?” said Archibald. “The two of you have already been there, so Rae can transport us.”

“How are we supposed to find an ancient text that was stolen in a war, and may or may not have been destroyed by now?” said Rae.

“Before we were banished, I was able to do a little more research into the matter,” he said. “Apparently there’s a museum in Yrvic that houses most of the valuables that have been stolen during various wars. It’s possible that the text resides there.”

She sighed. “I suppose it’s our only option right now.” She looked over at Finn, who had been awfully quiet for a few minutes. “Are you in?” she asked him.

He nodded reluctantly, even though he knew he would regret it.

***

Finn wasn’t sure which part was worse; traveling through the portal to Tertia, or taking a bumpy carriage ride from Yroct to Yrvic. (They managed to ride for free, because Rae healed the carriage-driver’s son.)

“Thank you again for the ride,” Rae told the carriage-driver.

“Yes, thank you,” said Archibald.

Finn simply nodded, since he could not speak the local tongue.

The three of them managed to find the museum that Archibald had mentioned, though it was looking fairly lacklustre. Most of the exhibits were empty, and the library was a disheveled mess.

“Pardon me,” he said to the woman staffing the library, presumably speaking Tertian, since his words and the movement of his lips did not line up from Finn’s point of view. “Could you tell me where I might find a text entitled, ‘The Fall of Dragons and Man,’ by any chance?”

She looked at him like he’d just asked her to do something painfully boring as she pulled up a large book from the counter in front of her and flipped it open. From what Finn could tell, it looked like a series of lists; possibly an inventory of the museum.

“It’s not here,” she said after scanning the pages for the quickest minute imaginable.

“Where is it, then?” asked Finn, forgetting for a moment that she wouldn’t be able to understand him.

She frowned at him. “Excuse me?”

“He wants to know where it is, if it’s not here,” said Rae.

“How should I know?” she said. “This whole place was ransacked a few years ago by Mollan infiltrators. They took most of our collections.”

“Thank you for your help,” Archibald said, bowing slightly before taking a few steps back to talk to the others. “Looks like we have another trip to make.”

***

They returned to Leaverton for the night before Rae transported the three of them to Lloenvil. The capital of Mollenfort seemed like a good place to look for stolen memorabilia. First location to check for an ancient text? The university library.

Finn had not spent a great deal of time in the university library in Affenland, except to converse with Archibald in his research chamber, but this library appeared to him to be at least ten times the size. Finding the book was going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Or so he thought.

Archibald, however, was ever skilled at navigating libraries’ catalogues. It helped, of course, that the library had a special room for rare and ancient manuscripts. (It was required that one wear gloves to enter this room.)

After an hour of reading dusty book covers, Finn found it. _The Fall of Dragons and Man._ An ominous title, to be sure. He brought it to Archibald carefully so he could peruse it. They didn’t have time for him to read the entire text in detail, but the major plot points were summarized towards the back of the book.

“Considering this is an ancient language, I cannot be certain of my translation abilities,” he said as he examined the last few pages for what seemed like the seventeenth time. “But I believe the so-called ‘prophecy’ is as follows:

“Dragons rise and the King falls ill—it could mean ‘ _when_ the King falls ill,’ or ‘when the King falls _dead_ ,’ but the language is ambiguous—and war engulfs the kingdom.”

“And war engulfs the kingdom?” said Rae. “That’s the third part of the prophecy?”

“Why would the new King want war to engulf the kingdom?” Finn asked.

“What if there’s someone else behind all of this?” Archibald suggested. “Someone who convinced Prince Liam to have his father killed, who orchestrated the return of the dragon, and who ultimately wants war in the kingdom. The question is, who benefits if Affenland goes to war?”

“I suppose that depends on who we’re fighting in this war,” said Rae.

***

The people of Leaverton were all abuzz when the trio returned from Mollenfort. It didn’t take long to find out why.

“King Affen IX is dead,” one of Finn’s neighbours told him. “Murdered by a Tertian assassin, right in his own chambers!”

“The Queen is in mourning,” said another. “Poor thing.”

“Fortunately they caught the perpetrator, and he was hanged for it,” said the first.

“Yes, how fortunate of them,” Finn replied, though he was only half paying attention at this point. He couldn’t get over the fact that this was the second dead King in as many months.

“This can’t be a coincidence, can it?” said Archibald as he, Finn, and Rae gathered around their usual table at the inn to discuss the latest news.

“Maybe it was punishment,” Finn suggested.

“You think someone found out about the King having his father murdered, and then hired an assassin to kill him, out of vengeance?” said Rae.

“It could happen.”

“I know I keep repeating myself, here,” Archibald added, “but I really think this prophecy has something to do with it. Or, rather, that someone who knows about the prophecy is trying to make it come true.”

“Who, then?” she asked.

“Well, think about it,” he said, moving his hands through the air as he spoke. “With King Affen IX dead, the monarchy is weakened. This makes Affenland a target for stronger nations to attack—‘and war engulfs the kingdom,’ as it were.”

“So, the question is, who wants to attack us?” said Finn.

“Who do you think?” Rae said, like it should have been obvious. “We’re Mollenfort’s strongest ally—or at least, we were until now. And the King was killed by a _Tertian_ assassin…”

“You think someone from Tertia orchestrated this whole thing?” he asked in disbelief.

“Well, they had access to the original text with the prophecy for a while, so it seems likely.”

“I think she’s right, Finn.”

“What about Queen Amelia?” he said.

“What about her?”

“She’s still standing, so it’s not as though we’re running around with our head completely chopped off, now, is it?”

The other two stared at him blankly for a moment.

“I’m just saying,” he continued, “if Tertia really wanted to weaken us before attacking, why not kill the Queen, too?”

“She’s so inexperienced, though,” said Archibald. “It’s almost like having no leader at all.”

“I’m not so sure,” said Finn. “We might be underestimating her.”

***

“Are you Finn the abolisher?” a messenger asked when he appeared at Finn’s doorstep early in the afternoon, a few days after the most recent King’s death.

“That depends,” Finn replied, irritated that his midday meal was being interrupted for this. “Who wants to know?”

“The Queen seeks your aid, sir,” the messenger said. “I’ve been sent to fetch you, Rae the healer, and Archibald the scholar.”

“And how do I know that this isn’t a trap?”

He pulled a small envelope out of his satchel. “A letter from the Queen herself.”

Finn snatched the envelope out of the messenger’s hand and examined it. It was the royal seal, that was certain. “What sort of _business_ does the Queen want with us, anyway?” he asked once he’d read the letter inside.

“She did not specify the details to me, sir.”

“Well,” Finn added, skimming the letter once more. “It seems legitimate. But I need to confer with my associates before—”

“Er, your friends have already left, sir,” said the messenger. “The healer opened a portal for them, I believe.”

“They left without me?” Finn didn’t believe what he was hearing. Figuring that this could be some sort of trick, he crumpled the letter and shoved it into the pouch on his belt before pushing his way past the messenger so he could head next door.

Archibald was not anywhere to be seen outside his house, so Finn knocked on the door. The young man whose family owned the house answered. According to him, Archibald had packed up his few possessions and left with Rae about an hour earlier.

Finn wondered why they had gone without him, but he had a three day journey to the capital on horseback to figure it out.

***

When Finn arrived at the capital, it wasn’t long before one of the Queen’s servants located him—at the tavern; what a surprise—and escorted him to his new chambers.

“Whoa,” Finn said when he saw the size of the room where he’d be sleeping. “This is all for me?”

The servant nodded politely.

“And why, exactly?” Finn asked.

“I don’t know,” said the servant. “I was merely told to bring you here.”

Finn was suspicious, but thanked the young servant anyway. Once he was alone, he started investigating every part of the room carefully, as if he were still afraid this was some sort of trick. The wardrobe was full of clothing that looked like it had never been worn, and there was a bookcase full of bestiaries and tomes about how to defeat various magical creatures. On the far wall was a weapon rack with an assortment of swords, which he examined in awe. Clearly this room could not be meant for him, he figured, even though it was perfectly tailored for an abolisher. It was too much.

He had no idea what he was doing here, but he wasn’t going to just sit around waiting for the answers to find him. If Rae and Archibald transported here three days ago, then they had to be around somewhere. Finn found them quickly—at the library; what a surprise—and slammed the research chamber door behind him when he entered, to emphasize his frustration.

“What was that for?” Rae asked, apparently startled by the sudden loud noise.

“What was that for?” he echoed. “I could ask you the same question!”

“I’m not the one who slammed the door,” she said.

“What I mean is, why did you leave without me?” he said. “I had to get here from Leaverton by myself, and I nearly got eaten by a bear on the way, so you’d better have a damn good explanation.”

“Surely you can handle a bear on your own.”

“Yes, I can—and I did—but that’s not the point.”

Rae sighed, like this whole conversation was beneath her. “I thought you hated being transported, so I let you make your own way here. I was being considerate.”

“Bullshit,” he said. “You’re just angry and wanted to punish me.”

“Why would I be angry?”

“You’re still upset about the thing with the girl in the hot spring, even though nothing happened!”

“You two realize that I’m still here, right?” said Archibald. “Should I give you some privacy to talk this over?”

“No,” Rae answered quickly. “We’re fine. I’m fine. Now, we should really get back to work.”

“What work?” Finn asked. “You were discharged from your position as court mage, if you’ll recall.”

“You didn’t hear?” said Archibald.

“Hear what?”

“Queen Amelia has reinstated us,” he explained. “We’ve got better rooms, better coin, and better status.”

“What?” said Finn. “Why would she do that?”

“As she explained it,” Rae said, “she thought that her late husband was wrong to dismiss us so quickly—she understood that we only went to Tertia to research the circumstances of his father’s death.”

“That doesn’t explain the better rooms or coin or status, though.”

“She values her advisors more than her predecessors did, it seems,” said Archibald. “It could be a Mollan thing; I hear that Queen Lalia IV treats her advisors similarly.”

“Still, this doesn’t seem strange to you?” Finn asked. “Why reinstate us? Why not hire new advisors?”

“She knows that we defeated the dragon; she probably trusts us.”

“Sure, but we weren’t alone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Chop, Isabelle, and Chloe were also there,” said Finn. “They helped defeat the dragon as much as we did. She could have chosen them. It would be less humiliating for her than reinstating three disgraced members of the court, would it not?”

“Why are you so opposed to this?” said Rae. “You’ve got your job back. You’ve got coin again. You get to live in the heart of the abolisher-loving capital. What is wrong with that?”

“It’s too easy.”

“I thought you liked _easy_.” Rae rolled her eyes.

“For the last time, nothing happened in the hot spring!”

“I can leave, if you want,” said Archibald.

“No, Archie, it’s fine,” said Rae. “We’re done talking about it. Forever.”

***

After another hour of trying to convince Finn that their reinstatement was a good thing, Rae and Archibald decided it was time to pack it in for the night. The Queen had requested their presence at a meeting early the next day, and they needed their rest.

“Goodnight, Archie,” Rae said as she kissed him on the cheek outside his chambers.

Finn had no reason to be jealous of Archibald, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t that he suspected a romance between them—he knew Archibald better than that—but he missed being able to interact with her that easily. During this whole murder investigation, their relationship was tested and picked apart and nothing was left but a shell.

As Rae continued on towards her own chambers, Finn followed her. “Isn’t your room back the other way?” she asked as they reached her door. She opened it without looking back at him.

“It is, but I want to talk to you," he said, putting his hand out to stop her from closing the door on him. “Can I come in?”

“If you must,” she said with a sigh.

He stepped into her room, and it was even nicer than his. It had a fireplace and a seating area and silk bedding.

“Talk,” she added, taking a seat in an armchair near the fire.

He started pacing around the room, wringing his hands. “All right, well, the thing is, what happened in the hot spring—”

“I said that we were done talking about it forever.”

“What I’m trying to tell you is that I wasn’t being flippant when I said that I loved you. I haven’t been with anyone since then, even when faced with what would once have been quite a temptation.”

“Do you want a medal or something?”

“Rae—”

“I don’t care about the women you bed, Finn,” she said. “That’s not what bothers me.”

“It doesn’t? Because it sure seems to.”

“No, what bothers me is the idea that I’m just like the rest of them.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“You told Stacey you loved her, too, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, technically, but that doesn’t mean that I—”

“How can I believe anything you say?” she said. “I mean, I knew you were a liar when we met—that was part of the appeal, to be honest—but now you’re talking about love and marriage, which are not things to lie about.”

“I’m not lying when I say that I love you, Rae,” he replied, crouching down in front of her. “I get no coin for pretending to be in love with you, not like Stacey. There’s no reason for me to say it except that it’s true.”

“But how can you… say it like that?”

“How did I say it?”

“So… easily.”

“I dunno. I opened my mouth and made the words.”

“See, that’s what makes me think you don’t mean it,” she said. “Being in love isn’t easy.”

“How would you know? Have you ever been in love?” he asked.

“…Once.”

“So you’re an expert, then. My mistake.”

She let out a frustrated groan. “I just don’t see how I could feel this way about someone so arrogant, so boorish, so unbelievably—”

He grabbed onto the arms of her chair and lifted himself towards her, planting his lips on hers. She appeared stunned as he slowly pulled away.

“—Pigheaded,” she said once she had come back to her senses.

“Well, that’s not very nice,” he said before going in for another kiss.

She put her hands on his chest, like she was going to push him away, but instead she held onto the front of his tunic and pulled him closer until he was practically falling on top of her.

“Wait,” he added when he managed to regain his balance, giving her a cheeky grin, “are you talking about me?”

***

Seeing as they had an early meeting with the Queen in the morning, Rae didn’t think it was a good idea for Finn to stay the night in her chambers, so she sent him on his way back to his room. He was too wound up to sleep much, though—he was just so pleased about his breakthrough with her. He only managed to get a couple of hours rest before there was a knock at his chamber door.

He threw on the clothes that were in a pile on his floor so he could answer in some reasonable state of dress. The young woman standing on the other side looked vaguely familiar, but it took him a moment to place her; the maidservant from the royal kitchen.

“Clea,” he said, and then hoped that he had remembered her name correctly. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I would bring you some breakfast,” she said happily, raising the platter she was holding to show him. It contained an vast assortment of food, far too much for a single person to eat—even though Finn was ravenous.

“Oh, well, thank you, I suppose,” he replied as he took the platter from her hands and carried it over to a small table in the corner of the room.

“I also wanted to say congratulations on getting your job back.”

“Well, thank you, again.” When he looked back at her, he noticed that she had followed him inside. But that wasn’t all he noticed. “Should I be congratulating you, as well?”

“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about, actually…” she added, running her hands over her protruding stomach. “I was really glad to hear you were coming back to the capital. I was so scared that I would have to raise a bastard.”

“I, er—what does my return have to do with that?” he asked, feeling his own stomach drop like a rock as panic seeped in.

“Now we can get married,” she said eagerly.

“Wait a minute. I’m not—how do you even know that’s mine?” he said as he backed himself up against the wall.

She looked a little hurt by his accusation. “You’re the only man I’ve ever been with, Finn.”

He laughed, but it came out like a puff of air. “You must be jesting.”

“I thought you would be happy about this,” she said. “You’re going to be a father.”

 _Father_ was definitely not something Finn ever wanted to be. “But… This has to be some sort of mistake,” he said. “There must have been someone else, surely!”

“Is it my status that displeases you so?” she asked. She looked like she was about to start crying.

“What? No, Clea, I—It’s not that I wouldn’t marry you because of your status,” he said. “I just—I can’t believe this is happening.” (What was more surprising, he realized, was that he’d never encountered this problem before.)

“It’s good news, is it not?” She walked up to him and held onto his hands. “We’re going to be a family.”

“Of course, it’s wonderful,” he lied. “But I have to get to a meeting with the Queen, right now. Can we discuss this later?”

“Should I meet you back here tonight?” she asked as he urged her towards the door.

“Yes, tonight. Fine.” He continued to escort her out of his chambers and then made sure to walk away in the opposite direction from the kitchens. If he kept walking this way, he thought, he could go right to the stables, grab his horse, and be in Mollenfort in two weeks…

***

But Finn did not continue all the way to Mollenfort; instead he made his way to the assembly chamber—a bigger one than last time—to meet with the Queen, as had been requested of him.

“What took you so long?” Rae asked when he got there.

“I’ll explain later,” he said as he took a seat before the Queen entered.

She walked into the room with a flock of servants, whom she also dismissed once she was seated, like the late, late King would do. Instead of waving her regal hand, however, she politely asked them to leave.

“Now,” she said, turning her attention to the trio seated in front of her. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve called you here.” She spoke softly, such that one had to remain very still and attentive to listen to her.

“I have a matter that I would like to discuss, and since you were trusted advisors to my deceased father-in-law, I trust you as well,” she continued. “The issue is that of my husband’s assassination. Yes, we have hanged the perpetrator, but I imagine that this will not be an isolated incident. What’s to stop the people of Tertia from sending another one for me, next?

“We need to send them a clear message. A message that says that we cannot be frightened into submission so easily.

“This means war.”

***

Finn, Rae, and Archibald waited until they were outside in the courtyard before breaking into a heated discussion of whether or not the Queen was out of her mind.

“Isn’t war exactly what the Tertians want from all of this?” said Finn. “If they orchestrated the dragon attack and the recent regicides, then they must want war to engulf the kingdom, right? She’s playing into their hands.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything in the meeting?” Archibald asked him.

“Me? Why do I have to be the one to tell the Queen that her idea is ridiculous? You tell her!”

“Maybe we should just—” Rae began before a familiarly enormous shadow floated along the ground past them, stunning her into silence.

They all looked up to the sky at the same time. Finn could hardly believe what he saw.

“That’s…”

“Another dragon?”

“Yep.”

“We should probably get inside,” said Rae. “Now.”

The three of them hurried towards the nearest castle entrance as people started screaming and running around outside.

“It looked like it came from the south,” said Archibald once they were safely indoors. “Meaning there could be another dragon’s lair down near Halesborough.”

“We need to go let Chop and Izzy know about this right away,” Rae added. “And Chloe, too. Maybe they can help us again, and—”

“Can it wait until tomorrow?” asked Finn.

“What? Why?”

“I’ve sort of agreed to meet with someone tonight…”

Rae laughed sarcastically. “Meet with who?”

“Clea, from the royal kitchen,” he said sheepishly.

Her expression turned from slightly amused to overtly distraught. “How come?”

“Because,” he replied, taking in a deep breath before continuing. “She’s pregnant with my child.”


End file.
